


It was Only a Dream

by sofiislosthere



Series: Oneiric feelings [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, planning on getting it smutier as it continues, the other characters are really background though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-14
Updated: 2014-05-06
Packaged: 2018-01-08 16:44:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 51,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1135036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sofiislosthere/pseuds/sofiislosthere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin finds himself in an interesting but unusual situation with his lovely roommate that makes him take a new look at their relationship. Will everything still be the same or will it all change? What does he even want?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Where Rin questions his preferences and Ai is a little bit more than what he would expect.

The room was dark and warm. Rin was hot and he could feel his cheeks warming up even more because of the blush that spread furiously across his face. Looking in front of him, or rather looking up, he could see a certain silver haired boy sitting on his lap. Seeing the boy and the glazed look he had on his eyes, Rin stiffened, his breath caught in his throat. He didn't understand what kind of situation this was, and even less what was this tightening feeling in his chest, but he wasn't going to start questioning it right now.

He opened his mouth to get the attention of the boy straddling him, but nothing came out. This must have sparked the other male's attention and triggered something within him since he slowly got closer to the redhead, staring at his gaping mouth.

Looking at the pleading and yet innocent look in Nitori's eyes as he placed his forehead on his, Rin started to feel the increasingly alarming rhythm of his heart. It seemed as if his heart wanted to fly out of his mouth, led by the thousand butterflies that raced in his stomach.

He didn't know what to do. He wanted to ask Nitori what was the meaning of this, but as he saw his face only inches away from his own, he unconsciously let his eyes close shut, expecting the crouching boy to finally put him out of this misery and kiss him.

Instead, Rin could feel the light touch of delicate fingers across is bare chest, going to his sides and to his collarbone where they finally rested. The redhead could feel the electricity of the touch course through his entire body, sending shivers through his spine and pants to his lips. He stared in awe at the beauty that emanated out of the young boy, the innocence in his face never leaving him, even as the moment got far away from just innocent touching.

Rin felt his head fuzzy from all the sensations Nitori was sending by his mere presence on his lap. One would have thought that with Rin's personality, he wouldn't have been the one to be subdued by such situation, but everything had taken him by surprise to such a degree that all he could do was to accept everything that came to him.

Matsuoka's mind was racing with troubled thoughts, wondering how all this would affect them in the end, but right now he needed to shove down everything that wasn't his will to finally kiss Nitori. He didn't even knew he wanted it so bad until it was literally placed on his lap in front of him, but it's better late than never right?

A small plea came out, soft as a whisper, but still powerful enough to make his kouhai shiver.

Aiichirou lowered himself, tangling his lean fingers with Rin's and taking their hands over Rin's head. His raced breath grazed Rin's face in small puffs of hot air that felt absolutely intoxicating. He was so close but yet so far. Rin parted his lips, having enough of this excruciating torture led by his devilish roommate.

Nitori finally gave up and closed his eyes, getting even closer to his senpai's face, bodies mingling as if wanting to become one.

Just as Rin finally felt a tingling sensation over his lips, a loud sound started blaring right next to his ear.

Startled, he looked for the noise as he cursed it for interrupting a very crucial moment in his life. When he finally found the source of the dreadful sound, he opened his eyes and looked around. Confused, Rin stared at his dimly lit bedroom, cellphone in hand. He sat up, looking intently at his lap that lacked the presence of a certain someone.

It took Rin a whole minute to fully comprehend that it had all been nothing but a dream (a very strange and sexy dream if he had to admit). He looked up at the bunk right above him while he pressed his fingers to his lips, still feeling the lingering sensation on them.

"What the hell was that?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Rin is losing it, Mikoshiba is bringing up his game and Ai is all over the place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. This is just my excuse of a story, but I hope you'll like it!  
> Also, DISCLAIMER: I do not own free! nor any of the characters used in this, it is all just for my own entertainment.

Nitori was in the bathroom, getting himself in a new pair of pants while brushing his teeth when he heard it. A loud BANG came from the bedroom, quickly followed by low cursing.

Curiosity and concern dwelled upon Nitori, so he poked his head into the room, looking for some answers.

Sitting before him was a very angry Rin, mumbling curses under his breath all the while rubbing his reddened forehead. I wasn't hard for Nitori to understand that somehow his senpai had managed to get tangled in his sheets and banged his head against the bunk's stairs.

Aiichiro giggled softly, coming into the room to offer some comfort to his senpai.

"Are you okay Matsuoka senpai?" he smiled at the redhead.

This obviously took the older by surprise, quickly lifting his head towards the voice and tangling himself even more in his bed sheets.

"Ni –Nitori! Urgh-.."

Rin wasn't able to finish his sentence since he was now lying on the floor, which he hit head first, with his sheets still intertwined on his legs.

"Urgh.. DON'T SURPRISE ME LIKE THAT JEEZ!"

"Sorry" answered a very amused Nitori.  
"Matsuoka senpai… What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing? I was trying to get up and get ready but this death trap decided that this would be a better option" he growled while tossing the fabric away from him with a little more force than necessary.

"Here, let me help you senpai" said Nitori, offering his hand to the other boy.

Now that all of his rage was gone, Rin remembered the embarrassing situation his kouhai had just witnessed. Finally realizing this, Rin's face decided to do that thing where it matched his hair color just it could contribute to the agony that was his morning.

Finally daring to look at him, Rin glanced at the boy. He still hadn't put his shirt on, his pants were undone and he probably had just washed his face since little droplets of water rolled down his neck and naked chest. This may or may have not sent sparks to Rin's body.

Looking at the figure above him, and he did stare quite a bit, Rin was quickly reminded of a certain dream and instantly lost his composure.

With feelings of lust and confusion taking over him, Rin shook his head wildly, refusing the hand offered to him, and started scrambling all over the floor while still managing to hit his head one last time on his way to the bathroom.

Rin flew away to safety and locked the door, leaving a very confused Nitori with his hand still in the air.

Leaning on the zinc, Rin hung his head before looking himself in the mirror, the hints of his blush still hanging on his cheeks.

"What am I doing?"

He had embarrassed himself in front of Nitori and run away, which wasn't exactly how he had wanted to start his day. He wondered what Nitori was thinking. What if he thought that he had finally lost his last screw, or what if he was angry for being rejected? Or worse, what if he was sad?

Rin could not take that, and he wouldn't. The mere thought made his stomach turn and his chest ache.

Touching his chest, he could feel the uneven beating of his heart and wondered why he was so aware of Nitori's presence now of all times. Or had that always been the case and he just never noticed?

He was washing his face, still deep in thought when he heard a low knock on the door.

"Matsuoka senpai, you're gonna be late."

The awkward thumping in his chest grew stronger once again and before he could stop himself, he answered. "Don't wait for me! I can get to class by myself!"

He heard a faint gasp and then nothing but silence.

Damn it.

I mean, here he was, trapped in a bathroom, trying to figure out a way to get back on good terms with the kid, and now he decided to yell at him? Even after he had had the heart to warn him not to be late?

What is wrong with me?

He heard the door close up with a slight click and he sighed. Maybe for the time being it was best to avoid Nitori. For Nitori's good and his own. He didn't mean to say that or to act like that, but he just couldn't control himself.

Something had changed within him since he awoke, but he didn't know what nor how to manage it. He had a vague idea of what it could be, but his pride was nowhere near to accept that answer.

So he grabbed his things and walked out the door telling himself that this had nothing to do with the fluttery feeling in his stomach. No. Nothing at all.

By the end of the day, Rin was exhausted. He had somehow magically transformed into a cartoon character, bumping into everything and falling over and over again.

He had scrapes all over, which were now covered in Hello Kitty bandages thanks to some of the girls in his class, but he was too tired to do something about it. Even if he had turned into a complete klutz, people still feared him, so the band-aids wouldn't be such a big deal.

It was finally the end of the day, his lessons forgotten as soon as the bell had rung and Rin could only think of one thing. He was in desperate need to get back to his bed and forget about his day, and he was on his way to do just about that when it hit him.

Practice.

How could he have forgotten the one and most important thing in his life?

He had swimming practice in half an hour, and that meant that he was going to see Nitori. His plan had failed and there was no escaping it.

Starting to get nervous, Rin decided to get some tea to calm himself down. So he turned around and walked in the opposite direction. He was getting strange looks, but then again, he was wearing at least 6 Hello kitties on his face. When he was finally getting over the vending machine, he noticed them.

It was captain Mikoshiba with no other than Nitori by his side. He quickly hid himself between the vending machine and the wall, listening to their conversation (not that he was interested in it, not at all).

"You really are amazing Mikoshiba senpai! I never thought you had such talents!"

"Oh, well I am a natural after all." He said with a cheeky smile on his face.

What?

"You were surprisingly good too. But don't worry, I won't share my talent with anyone but you."

Rin was sure he saw Mikoshiba wink at Nitori, who then immediately turned three shades redder.

"Really senpai? I'm so happy! Though it is all because of your helping hand."

WHAT

"And if it isn't much trouble, could senpai help me some more?"

"Well, aren't you a little devil? You know that I can't say no to those puppy eyes of yours."

Nitori beamed and hugged Mikoshiba very tightly.

"I will take your word then. Should we meet again tomorrow, at the same time?"

"Sure thing kid!"

Rin watched them walk past him, his mouth agape, and when he finally regained his senses, they were long gone.

Rin's head was ringing and his body was trembling. He needed to talk to Nitori and get some answers. He wasn't sure why he was getting so worked up over nothing, but somehow it didn't feel right, at least not to him.

What were they doing? Were they doing that kind of thing? Is that what they meant? Were they together? Was he really even that good? Pfft, doubtful. Wait, what am I thinking?

Rin shook his head once again, not bothering to get his drink anymore. All of his thirst as well as his nervousness were gone, and now some strange sensation in his chest had taken over. He definitely wasn't feeling insecure, and he was most definitely not jealous. Not at all. I mean, why would he? He was just… concerned for his kouhai. Yes, that was definitely it. He was concerned.

If he had an unnerving need to punch Mikoshiba in the groin, it was surely for some other completely unrelated reason.

Completely driven by his concern, Rin started walking towards the pool.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Rin finally looses his shit and is kind of a dick. Nitori is a baby as always.

The doors leading to the academy's swimming pool bounced and clacked as the redhead burst into the room.

The sound startled the rest of the swim team already inside. They all fell silent as they watched with curious eyes at the boy standing at the entry, panting heavily.

He glared at them, his own way to tell them to mind their own business, as he took a seat leaning against the cold tile wall.

From there, he decided, he would do some proper research. He would look intently at any signs that confirmed his theory of the secret affair going on between the captain and Nitori.

He was doing this out of concern, he repeated himself. Like when that sketchy guy tried to make a pass on Gou. He wouldn't accept that. He was here to defend Nitori's honor, or something like that.

He was still debating his reasons, when they entered the room. There they were, chatting gleefully without a care in the world.

Rin could have sworn, that if this was some shoujo manga, little specks of light would be flying around them. He grunted at the thought, and with a light "tsk" he mumbled under his breath "shounen-ai maybe".

Was this normal behavior? Was he overreacting? He never really had any close friends, apart from the Iwatobi guys, but that was ages ago.

Even if they were on good terms now and were slowly coming back to the way they were, those relations were still odd. So, he had no idea if things like these were actually okay.

He recalled Nagisa, and his clingy nature and how that was all part of his bubbly personality, but that kid was far from normal. Then there was Makoto and Haru. Those two were practically married without even realizing it, so they weren't much help either. Then there was Rei, but the kid was a riddle in itself with his obsession with beauty and perfection.

It was until then that Rin noticed how his friends were all weirdoes, but then again, having shark like teeth wasn't exactly normal either.

So he kept staring. Looking at every interaction between the small boy and the fiery headed captain.

He noticed how Nitori laughed without any worry, and he didn't walk on eggshells like he did with him. He looked completely at easy, and that pulled something inside Rin's chest.

He wondered if that was what true friendship was, and not what he thought he had with Aiichirou.

The kid was clinging to his muscly arm, telling him again and again how amazing he was.

Rin noticed something else too, something he had never expected before.

He was being ignored by the grey haired boy and he didn't even knew why. All those compliments showering Mikoshiba were supposed to be for him. That was HIS kouhai, the one that was ALWAYS by HIS side. He thought everything was okay since the time he apologized for being a shitty human being and an even worst friend. Nitori had seemed to accept that, and everything kept on going as normal, so why this? And why now?

Rin recalled his day at school today, and either he had done an excellent job at avoiding Nitori (which he didn't) or the kid hadn't even bothered to look for him, and honestly he didn't know what to think.

By the end of practice, Rin was pissed. Not only Nitori was being cold to him, talking to him only if absolutely necessary, but he was still sticking to Mikoshiba like he was the best damn thing he had ever seen. The sight made him sick and he needed to get out of there quickly.

He quickly took a shower and changed, ready to get back to the dorm to finally sulk at ease.

That's when he realized that if he didn't like the current situation, he just had to change it himself. So he decided to wait for Nitori to get ready and go back to their room together.

As he waited, he started thinking about all of this. This odd situation in which he had put himself in without even realizing. Why was he doing all of this? When did he start to care so much for the kid to go as far as to "protect" him? Was he really protecting him though? He seemed far better off with someone who didn't have a nasty personality and anger problems.

And then the reason hit him, like a cold dive in the ocean in the middle of march. It had all started because of that dream. That damn dream that had stirred up something within him that he could not get rid of no matter how much he tried.

And that's about when he started drifting off and ended up at a very dangerous area of his imagination.

His eyes darted towards the room inside, listening closely at the faint sound of water running and he started thinking of him. At how the water would glide from Nitori's locks to his small but strong shoulders, following the line of his spine and…

He swallowed hard, trying to avoid any more images that could potentially put him in a very awkward situation. But it was so hard. He was so used to see the glistening little droplets of chlorine water gently caress the figure of the boy. How they would drop from his smiling face, slowly and painfully rolling to his hipbone. It was all too clear in his head because he had seen it a thousand times, but he needed to stop.

He was so focused on getting his mind out of the gutter, that he didn't even noticed the water stopping and the small steps that were getting closer and closer to him.

"Matsuoka senpai? Were you waiting for me?" a little voice asked.

Nitori beamed at the idea that his senpai made the effort to share some time with him. It was strange for Rin to reach for him; it was usually him running after the redhead to get even a little attention.

This simple gesture made him so happy he could explode.

But the voice abruptly brought Rin back to reality and made him flinch. He glanced towards the other boy and flashes of erotic images came back to his mind.

At this point Rin was sure something was starting to wake up in his pants and panicked.

And as all thing ended when he panicked, he lost control of himself and simply barked "Of course not! I- I have to go". So he did. He ran at top speed, regret eating him alive at a quick pace while leaving a heartbroken Nitori behind.

Once inside, Rin slid onto his bed, hiding his face with one if his pillows.

What had he done? He was trying to be a good friend to Nitori and now he had officially fucked everything up. He knew he had problems and anger issues, but this was ridiculous. Wanting to be close to someone shouldn't be considered a weakness, he shouldn't be as scared of it as he was.

So he decided to wait for Nitori's return, to ask for his forgiveness and make up for his horrid actions.

Time ticked and his brain tortured him with every passing second. Every ticking sound of the clock made an even deeper dent into his already fragile heart.

He was in pain, all his bad memories from Australia and his failed friendships coming back to bite him at his weakest point.

But he was resigned to wait for Nitori and beg him to forgive him if it was necessary.

He stared at the door with suffering eyes, his knees against his chest while he hugged them tightly with his arms.

He wasn't sure how much time he waited, but by the time the grey haired boy finally came inside, he was already sound asleep, dreaming of days when everything was okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I'm still surprised at all the hits I've been getting over this silly little thing. But anyway, hope you enjoy :D !


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nitori and Mikoshiba are getting good at it and Rin is just stupid.

Rin woke up to the annoying sound of his alarm. It was a Saturday and he didn't need to wake up just yet, so he closed his eyes once again.

Just before he could drift back onto the perfect world of dreams, he remembered. He remembered the incident of the day before, and how he still hadn't apologized to Nitori.

Apparently he had fallen asleep before he could even try, and by the sight of it, not only the other kid had come back, but the had placed a blanket over his body, covering him from the cold night.

With this, Rin's pain came back at full force making him wince.

He got up, and with a racing heart he looked at the bunk above his own. He was nervous, nervous and hopeful. Hopeful that Nitori would forgive him and give him the chance to start all over, but right now he mostly hoped the kid was still in the room.

He peered over the edge of the bed, ready to face his mistakes, only to find an empty and unmade bed.

He's already gone huh? He sighed defeated. This wasn't going to be easy.

The redhead decided it was better to sleep, since he was exhausted after all. All of this things have been dragging him around and restraining him to rest at ease.

So he tried. He tried to sleep but it seemed impossible. All his thoughts were screaming at him how much of a coward he was and how once again he had ruined the one good thing in his life.

Rin had lived with that curse all of his life. Everything he touched would eventually turn sour and end up breaking him. That's why he was such a different person now to the loving, happy kid he had once been.

Every bad turn and every bad situation he put himself into had slowly but surely turned him into someone who couldn't trust anymore, someone who couldn't open up without feeling on the verge of finally breaking.

But Nitori had managed to sneak his way into his heart. He had made his way through the seams that kept Rin together, the seams he sewed every time he ended up like this, pulling himself together, but barely making it.

Fighting to put all this thoughts aside, the redhead decided it was better to get out of bed and take a shower.

Once he was finished, he glanced through the window of the room. The day seemed to mock him, the clear sky and light breeze inviting people to come outside and enjoy the marvelous weather. But he couldn't, at least not yet.

He was going to look for Nitori. The kid didn't go out that often, so it couldn't be that difficult to find him.

Sliding his shoes back on, he got out the door with his mind set to put this thing to an end today.

He roamed around the academy, from the library to the cafeteria, searching for the one person who could cease his pain.

After almost two hours of unsuccessful tracking, he was tired. He would go take a bite to eat and keep looking for him after that.

So when he turned the corner of the hallway and found himself face to face with Nitori and Mikoshiba, he was surprised.

They were snickering at something and the way they seemed to share some intimate secret made Rin's chest tighten.

The two gave him a small wave to greet him and kept on going as if they were too caught up with each other to even care. Rin just stood there, not knowing what to do. He had completely forgotten they would have one of their little encounters today.

Should I follow them? But what if I get caught? What could I possibly say? Oh hey I was worried you were taking away every inch of Nitori's innocence and I don't like it.

Hell no. So what? THINK RIN THINK!

Once he had decided to keep an eye on them, they were gone. Rin could still hear footsteps on the distance, but in which direction had they gone? He started running from one place to another, looking frantically in every hall and every room in his way.

He lost them. And by the time he had lost, he was pretty sure they were getting busy by now, so he stopped. He wasn't really hungry anymore but he picked something on his way and got back to the room.

After approximately 4 hours (4 hours 18 minutes and 56 seconds, not that he was counting) Nitori finally came back.

He opened the door and came inside, looking at his feet and making sure not to make eye contact with the red headed boy that kept looking at him with great intensity. He leaned against the door, sight still cast downwards, looking at the carpet and waiting for something, anything from the older boy to get him out of this awkward situation.

After their last encounter, Nitori had finally confirmed the one thing he was scared the most. Rin was tired of him. By the way he reacted the day before, he was sure the redhead had only been nice to him all along and had allowed him to cling that much even if he disliked it.

Nitori knew that he was nothing other than his roommate, but he always thought that if he tried hard enough, Rin would open up to him and would finally allow him into this heart. But apparently that plan had failed miserably, so now here he was, not knowing what to do to make everything alright.  
So he waited, even if every muscle in his body was screaming at him to get out of there, that he wasn't needed here.

Rin had waited for Nitori and had suffered every minute of it, but now that he was finally here, in front of him, he noticed he didn't know what to say.

He just kept his eyes on him, scanning him over and over again, looking for anything that proved his twisted theories.

But he couldn't see anything on the boy's perfectly pale skin and that scared him. It scared him because if that damn Mikoshiba had marked Nitori, none of the lovemarks were actually visible, and thinking that intimate and hidden parts of Nitori's body were darkened by the other redhead's lust made him cringe.

No one should be allowed to touch Nitori, much less to leave signs of property on places that no one could even see.

Rin's mind was spinning with all kinds of thoughts. He didn't like the idea of anyone else touching Nitori. He didn't like the fact that Nitori gave his attention to someone else. He didn't like the fact that Aiichiro hadn't even tried to look for him when he ignored him. But the thing he hated the most was the fact that he didn't notice before. All these thoughts were wrong and twisted and Rin knew it very well, but he finally understood why. He knew why he felt that way. He knew he was in so much pain, he just had to admit it to himself.

I do don't I? I… I like him.

With his heart thumping in his ears, Rin said the first thing that came to mind to kill the awful atmosphere that was strangling them.

"Oi, don't just stand there"

"A-ah yes! I'll just go to bed now" Nitori pushed himself from the door and reached for the stairs leading to his bunk. Once he got there, everything would be fine, right? This could all be forgotten and tomorrow would be as if nothing had ever happened.

"Where were you?" Rin asked him, carefully placing his hand around the other's wrist, making him stay in place.

"I-I was with the captain today."

"Tsk. I know about you two, you know?" he glanced away, trying to cover his face from the younger's eyes but Nitori was sure he saw something different in those eyes, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Well, it's not exactly a secret…"

"Huh?"

"It's not really a secret. I mean, everyone heard when I asked the captain to teach me his techniques."

"HUH?"

"Yeah. I was having trouble in this particular area. I mean, don't take me wrong, I'm usually really good at this, with the more normal stuff. I often got praised for my work. But this is something new, something I had never tried before, so it was obvious I needed some guidance."

"Are you serious right now?"

"Well, yeah… I don't see why I would lie about it. It might be difficult to think about "strong captain Mikoshiba" doing something like this, but he's actually really good at it. He might have a lot of muscles and look kind of rough, but his hands are very delicate and they know exactly what they are doing."

"Please stop. I don-"

"He's really something. I never expected him to know so much. And he said I'm getting better at it too! So I should keep practicing until I master all of his techniques and make him proud, don't you think?"

"I-I really don't know what to say"

"Huh? What are you talking about? It's fun! You should come too someday. I know it's not your thing, but who knows, it might surprise you. I even invited Kou-chan next week! I'm sure she'll love too see all those arm muscles in action. At least all the others seem to like it…"

"What-WHAT KIND OF SICK ORGY ARE YOU INVITING MY LITTLE SISTER TO?"

"Huh?"

"I never knew you were like this! And even getting my little sister in it too? You can do whatever dirty stuff you want with the captain and his army of pervs, but my sister? My sweet baby sister?"

"W-What are you saying senpai?"

"I told you I knew about your little love affair with Mikoshiba, but this…"

"Are you.. Is this… Is this really what you think of me Rin?"

The use of his name threw Rin out of balance.

"You really think I could do such things with anyone? With someone I don't love?"

"Huh? what were you doing then?"

"Pottery"

"…What?"

"We were making POTTERY Rin! I had never used clay before! I am usually good at art, things like drawing and painting, but not this! I had never done this before and I needed a good grade to pass the class. So I found out that the captain was really good at this because his mother had a pottery store, so I asked him to help me! We were making POTTERY! I can't believe… I can't believe you think so little of me…" his voice broke.

There were tears falling down Nitori's face and Rin was paralyzed. He couldn't move even if he tried. He wanted to say something to Nitori, anything that would take that pained expression out of his face, but nothing would come out. He was mortified at himself for not trusting his friend, ashamed for the things he had said, but mostly he felt relief. He was relieved that they weren't together. He was actually ecstatic that Mikoshiba hadn't touched him. He was happy, happy that there was no one in his way now. But nothing in life goes according to plan, cause life was a bitch.

Nitori took Rin's silence as an affirmation to all he had said. Rin thought he was someone who could just sleep around without a problem, and that pained Nitori. It made him feel worse than anything he had ever experienced before, and he couldn't take it. This was too much for him, so he hastily took a bag and stuffed the first thing he could put his hands on and without another word he left, leaving a faint trail of tears on his way out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'm really glad there's people actually reading this! New chapter will be out soon! Thank you all again and see you next time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Unfortunately neither Free! nor any of its lovely characters belong to me.
> 
> This chapter wrote itself and made me cry in the process. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it!

The bedroom door clacked. It didn't make much noise, but the faint sound echoed in Rin's head over and over again like furious ocean waves during a storm. It all happened so quickly, only a mere seconds, but the moment when the door finally closed and shut Rin inside of their room, he felt trapped. The solitude that ate at him little by little, breaking every already tore piece of Rin's heart, was all the punishment he would ever need for making Nitori cry. He would never need for Nitori to forgive, since Rin himself never would. How could he?

The few passing seconds were such an intense torture for Rin that he could only stare at the void left by his roommate. He remembered feeling time go by slower from the moment the first salted drop rolled down Nitori's cheek. He remembered perfectly how he saw him take his things and glance at him with such a hurt look that all of his guilt anchored him down, making him fall to the ground on his knees. If he had tried, he probably would have been able to stop him, but his chest weighted so much that he thought it would be impossible for him to even move his arms, so he just stared. He stared as the only good thing in his life finally gave up on him and left him as everything else had before.

Rin could feel the traitorous burning feeling behind his eyes, but he wouldn't allow any tears on his face, not until he made sure there weren't anymore on his kouhai's cheeks, tainting his beautiful face.

So with all the strength he could muster in that moment, he stood up, walked towards the door that was trapping him and walked away.

Rin was actually thankful for being athletic, cause he caught up to Aiichiro rather quickly. He couldn't explain the feeling, but having left the room had felt somewhat liberating, as if the fresh air finally allowed him to take flight and get his prey.

When Rin finally reached Nitori, they weren't too far away from their shared bedroom. Rin assumed that his kouhai might have had trouble running since his vision was blurred by the tears that gathered around his eyes. As he thought of this, Rin felt his own eyes starting to prickle again. He wanted to say something at Nitori who was now sobbing quietly in front of him, but he couldn't do it, not here where curious stares were directed at them.

Rin still couldn't find his voice among the mess that was currently taking place inside of him, so he did the only thing he could think of. He lightly closed his fingers around Aiichiro's delicate wrist, pulling him to a stop for the second time this day.

Nitori stopped, turning to him and looking up with that hurt gaze still showing in his once bright blue eyes.

"Please… just let me explain" Rin said with a coarse voice, turning his head to the side to avoid the chance of anyone seeing him in such a vulnerable state.

Nitori quickly saw this, since he was an expert on Matsuoka Rin's expressions and meanings.

So he let himself be pulled back to the bedroom, looking at his feet as he walked. The curious wanderers that once surrounded them were now dispersing, and Nitori could only assume that all the vulnerability on Rin's face had disappeared and was now replaced by a glare that scared everyone around.

Once they set foot inside their private room, the atmosphere felt suffocating. Rin was just standing there, his back turned to Nitori.

The younger one didn't know what to do, so he took a seat on the chair by his desk, patiently waiting for whatever was going to happen next.

The tears were still falling, but the amount had decreased. His crying had reduced to only a few stray tears and some light sobbing and hiccuping.

He knew this situation was hard on both parties, so he tried his best to be strong and stop his weak attitude.

It's probably because of things like this that he's had more than enough of me – he thought to himself.

The thought just opened the wound even more, forcing him to remember all of these things that had turned to such a complicated and hurtful situation.

And so, without even realizing, he was crying again. He put the heels of his hand over his eyes, trying to force the salty droplets to stop surfacing, but to no avail.

"Please… please stop" it was barely a whisper, but Nitori was lucky enough to hear it.

The sound was something Nitori had never heard before. He could feel the pain laced in the small plea and it made him gasp.

The surprise made Aiichiro's tears to finally come to an end. So he looked up, turning his head towards the one who had spoken.

He could see how the older boy's head was dropped and his shoulders were tense, his arms hanging by his sides, finishing in white trembling fists.

That's when he noticed. Rin's white fists weren't the only things that were trembling. His entire body was shaking slightly, making him look small and fragile. Nitori was, for a lack of better words, shocked. He didn't understand what was happening, but he had never seen his senpai so upset.

At that moment, Nitori completely forgot he had be one hurt here and wanted to ask what was wrong, but just when he was about to ask, his words were cut by a low and raspy voice.

"I'm sorry Nitori" the voice broke at the end and Nitori felt a tug on his chest.

"I'm so sorry for everything. I know this isn't the first time I've said these words to you, but I don't know what else to say"

The redhead finally turned around, a small and sad smile gracing his lips.

Nitori was searching for something, something that explained everything that was happening and he knew that the answer was in Rin's eyes, but they were perfectly hidden under his long bangs.

He needed to see into those maroon eyes, the way Makoto did with Haruka, to understand the turmoil inside of the other without any need of words; but the redhead was slouching on purpose to avoid any eye contact.

Rin didn't want his kouhai to look at him like this, so broken and fragile, fearing he would lose all of his respect for him.

But Nitori wasn't having it, so he took a few steps, shortening the distance between them.

The sudden movement in the room startled the older one, and made him snap his head back up and watch as the small boy got closer to him.

That's when he saw it. That exact moment when Rin's head perked up, Nitori saw the lonely tear that had managed to escape down Rin's cheek.

Nitori froze in place after seeing it. He knew that Rin had had very bad experiences in his life, but he had never seen him cry. Ever.

Realizing what was happening, Nitori jumped towards Rin, crossing his slim arms around the other's waist and pulling him into a tight embrace.

That was the moment when Rin's entire being broke apart.

His knees gave up on him, and his body went numb, falling onto his small kouhai.

Rin broke down into loud sobs and small hiccups, his tears rolling down his face with no seeming end and darkening the fabric of Nitori's shirt.

The boy was currently sitting with his feet behind him, carefully hugging the trembling figure that had latched himself between his legs. He couldn't see Rin's face but it was buried deep in his chest, his strong arms against his ribs and hands fisting his t-shirt as if Rin's life depended on it.

Nitori was dumbfounded by what had just happened, but decided to keep his questions for later on. So with a small smile he started to form small circles on the redhead's back, trying his best to sooth him without crossing a line. The gentle touch only made the other one to take a stronger hold onto him, so without even realizing it, he placed his free hand on red strands of hair, softly caressing them.

"It's going to be okay" he whispered to the other, a loving and reassuring tone laced to it.

Everything inside Rin's head was a mess. Everything hurt and nothing made sense. It was as if there was noise all around him, and he couldn't escape.

That was until he felt soft hands caressing his body and a weak voice shushing his fears, bringing him to a lull. He needed to say so many things, but couldn't stop crying. He needed to give an explanation to Nitori of what had happened.

I'm so sorry. I don't deserve you! Someone like me doesn't deserve someone as good as you. I'll only hurt you and brake you like I always do. I'm so sorry Nitori, I really am. I'm sorry. You deserve so much better than me. Trust me.

"You should give yourself more credit you know?"

Rin flinched and looked up, slowly pulling away from his kouhai's chest. It seemed as he didn't need to say anything anymore, since everything had slipped out without him noticing.

"Huh?" he asked, sniffling and wiping his face.

"You should give yourself more credit senpai. You are not as bad as you think"

"You are too forgiving for your own good" Rin muttered quietly.

"I might be, but I know good from bad, and you Rin senpai are not bad"

Rin's only response was a hiccup and more sniffling.

"So, I think I deserve an explanation now?" he smiled.

Rin couldn't believe how things ended up like this. He was supposed to be the one to protect Nitori, but in the end he was the one crying and needing comfort. So he sat on his feet and looked at his kouhai, decided to make everything clear now.

"I'm sorry for everything. Really" he looked down at his hands fidgeting over his knees.

"I never intended to hurt you. Just, when you told me all that, I didn't know how to react."

" I thi-"

"Please… Let me finish first, or I might never say this"

Nitori looked at him, and closed his mouth, staring intently at his senpai.

"I never thought of you as someone… easy. I don't. It's just… when I thought of the possibility of you and Mikoshiba together, I went crazy, just like when Gou is being hit on by other guys. I can't help it, I just can't."

"Okay..?"

"Listen Nitori, I know I acted like a jerk, but it's only… it's only because I… - I like you- Because I care about you. And without realizing it, I depend so much on you. And when I thought you might be getting taken advantage of I just snapped. It all happened because I really really – like you- care about you ok? I know it's not an excuse and it's not acceptable, so I won't ask you to forgive me. Just do me a favor… please don't cry anymore. I can't take it."

Nitori smiled. He beamed at the realization that it was all because Rin had cared so much for him but it had somehow gotten out of control.

"So you snapped because you wanted to…protect me?"  
"Uhh yeah"  
"Because you care about me?"

Rin blushed and looked away - "Yeah"

Nitori giggled and landed on his back. "I can't believe all this happened because you're such a tsundere Rin-senpai!"

Rin frowned instantly and glared at the laughing boy beside him.

"Excuse you. I am not."

This only made Nitori laugh even harder.  
"Oh but you so are Rin-senpai!"

At this, Rin smirked and edged closer to the giggling boy.

"You are so gonna regret saying that, short stuff!"

"I'm not afraid of you, shark boy" Nitori teased, a cheeky look glued to his face.

"We'll see about that!"

And then Rin launched himself to the small boy and hence a tickling fight commenced.

The pair rolled on the floor for a couple of minutes, laughter filling the air of the once suffocating room. The two boys got their turn at tickling one another, making more tears appear on each other's eyes, only this time they were happy tears.

After about 15 minutes of rolling and giggling, the boys laid on Rin's bed, still catching their breath and clutching at their stomach that had hurt from too much laughter.

They stayed in silence for a while, enjoying the other's company. They hadn't felt so at peace for a while now, so the feeling was very comforting.

Not very long after, Rin turned his head towards Nitori, apologizing once again. The younger made it clear that he wasn't upset anymore but it felt as if there was more to what Rin wanted to say, so he stayed quiet, patiently waiting for the other to keep going.

Rin started talking again, and this time he told Nitori everything he wanted to know. They talked about his past, his family, about Australia and so many other things.

Nitori was grateful that Rin had finally opened up to him, so he listened carefully to everything the other said, eventually squeezing his hand to show him some support. They talked for so long, that they didn't even noticed when they fell asleep next to each other.

When Rin opened his eyes, it was dark and a little chilly. He looked to his side and saw the sleeping figure of Nitori, breathing evenly and comfortably next to him.

He stared at him for a while under the blue light of the moon, before pulling a blanket over them, snuggling closer and whispering at Nitori's ear:

"I'll make it up to you, I swear"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for still reading this. Like really. 
> 
> See you next time :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin is not a dick??? Who would have thought!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: neither free nor any of their characters belong to me.
> 
> This is kind of a long chapter, so I turned it into 2 separate ones. Hope you enjoy your reading.

When Rin opened his eyes, the sunlight was barely entering their bedroom window; faded rays of light creating a very special aura around the room. Rin didn't know if it was the weather or the fact that Nitori was still cradled next to him, giving him warmth. It was most likely the second one, but Rin decided it was probably both.

Rin rolled on his side repositioning himself, looking directly at the peaceful face in front of him.

It was hard for Rin to understand how it had taken him so long to finally realize he was head over heels for the kid.

He stared at him for what seemed an eternity, until he started to feel like a creep for staring so much. So he decided he was definitely too giddy and nervous to actually stay put and rest some more. He carefully lifted himself from the bed, trying his best to not so much as move and wake up his roommate.

Once on his feet, Rin was indecisive. He didn't want to take a shower since the noise might wake up Nitori, but he didn't want to leave the dorm either. So he sat on his chair, slumping on it and playing with the long brands of hair that covered his face.

He rested his chin on one of his hands, glancing at the sleeping figure still on his bed. A barely noticeable blush creped onto his cheeks at the thought of him and Nitori having shared the same bed.

He was sure this time it wasn't a dream, since knowing him and his vivid imagination, it would probably have gone much further than that with all of Rin's hormones going crazy around his cute little kouhai.

The last words he had whispered to Nitori last night before falling asleep came back to Rin's mind. Still playing with his hair, Rin continued looking at the boy whilst thinking of a way to start his plans.

Hmmm… How am I going to make it up to you?

Rin looked around Nitori's desk. It was definitely too messy for him, but it really did reflect Nitori. The little post-its here and there, a few sweets scattered around and the multiple books with purple notes on them. It was kind of heartwarming really, and Rin couldn't help glancing at him once again, a fond smile covering his face.

He noticed how the furthest side of the desk was packed with several thick and old looking books. Being his curious self, Rin picked some of them up and leafed them, keeping an eye on Nitori since he wouldn't appreciate getting caught looking at other people's things.

They were all art books, with lots of pictures of old paintings and mustached guys with funny clothes. He kept looking at the books for a while, finally coming to a more modern type of art that really didn't make sense to him.

He put them back and recalled the awkward conversation they had the day before. Nitori had said he was actually good at painting and by looking at these; he obviously was very interested in it.

The fact that Rin hadn't noticed Ai's talent and his interests made him feel kind of guilty. The kid could easily talk all day long if you allowed him, and Rin was constantly showered with information, but he never really paid any attention. And now here he was, facing the fact that he barely knew a thing about the boy he liked.

How was he supposed to make up for his mistakes if he didn't actually know anything about him?

Looking back at the books, an idea came to him. It was a Sunday, and if he was lucky enough, he could start fixing things this afternoon.

He quickly grabbed his cellphone from his desk and got himself out of the room. Walking into the hallway, he leaned against the wall and dialed Gou's number.

"Onii-chan? It's 7 in the morning. On a Sunday"

"Hey, sorry. Couldn't sleep. Listen, I need a favor…"

Nitori rolled on the bed, bringing a pale hand to rub the sleep off of his eyes. He started to stretch and a small groan left his lips. He searched blindly for the rail of his bed to force himself out of the comfy blankets. He knew that if he surrendered to their warmth, he would never leave his bed. But when he looked for the thin metal bar of his bunk, he couldn't find it.

Forcing himself to finally open his eyes, Nitori looked around and felt lost. He blinked a few more times and rubbed his eyes again, as if doing this would force things to make any sense.

He was in Rin's bed, and no amount of eye rubbing would change that fact. He considered the possibility of this being a dream, but then the images of the night before flashed in his head.

He remembered talking to Rin until his eyes felt heavy, shapes getting fuzzy when everything suddenly went black. He then remembered waking up in the middle of the night, a little surprised at what he had woken up to.

In the dim light casted by the moon, a figure was softly snoring next to him. Even in the darkness off the room, Nitori was able to make the lines of Rin's face and he was entranced by it.

Rin's sleeping figure made the small butterflies in Nitori's stomach to wake up from their slumber and flutter in his stomach with their delicate wings.

Nitori was someone who was always grateful for the things he had, but he was sure he had never been more grateful for anything like he had been at that moment.

He stared at the older boy for what seemed like hours, relishing in the moment and in the intimacy of it. He enjoyed every second and absorbed every bit of it, since the chances of this ever repeating itself were kind of slim. So with a wide smile across his face, he snuggled up in the warm covers, before leaning closer to the redhead and finally falling asleep.

But now it was daytime and he was still in Rin's bed, only he was alone. All the magic of the night before slowly slipped away as he started to feel lonely and out of place in the now empty bed.

Nitori was considering between getting out of bed before Rin returned and actually staying in and relishing in the feel of Rin's bed and the smell of his shampoo.

Nevertheless, the fear of being found still lying on the bed was bigger than his own will of staying, so he lifted himself into a sitting position, giving a last hug to the dark covers.

In that moment an almost naked and wet Rin appeared from the bathroom, calmly coming into the room. He ruffled his vibrant hair with a towel, small beads of water falling around before he turned towards the bed.

Nitori had to gulp forcefully to avoid the groan that was tempting to escape his throat. It was really unfair to be shaken awake by such a tempting sight so early in the morning, but he definitely wasn't going to complain.

If Nitori thought that the smell engulfing him wasn't intoxicating enough, the picture he was staring at right now sure was and it made him feel a little light headed.

Rin just stared at him, still drying his hair as a suspicious smile crept onto his face.

"Good morning"

"Eh- Umm- G-Good morning senpai" he smiled back.

"Sleep well?" Rin asked, a playful tone very obvious in his question.

Nitori nodded furiously, looking down as he felt his cheeks burn.

"Not to be rude but you should probably get out of there now " Rin said.

He knew he had stayed more than welcomed. If only he had been able to get out of the bed before Rin had come into the room.

Nitori's energy fell notoriously, his self-awareness making itself very evident to Rin, but he was not goint to let this get into Nitori's head.

"Y-Yeah I guess I should. Sorry for troubling you senpai"

"Rin" he said seriously.

"What?"

"Call me Rin. No more senpai ok?"

"Uh…okay."

"And I don't really mind by the way"

"Huh?"

"You didn't bother me. There was no troubling at all. I was only saying that because if you don't get out of bed now, you'll be late."

"Late? But I don't have any plans today"

Rin smiled coyly, showing a row of pointy and dangerous teeth.

"Yes you do. At least you do now. So you better hurry up or I'll leave without you"

Nitori stared at him for a couple of seconds before smiling fully and scrambling to his feet, quickly passing him by and nearly tripping on his way.

He didn't need to be told twice. If Rin had made plans for them, he would get his ass out of bed without any hesitation, not even questioning the reasons behind it.

He slammed the bathroom door and striped from his clothes, ready to get into the shower. But just before jumping in, he realized he forgot something and messily put a towel around his waist before opening the door.

"Thank you Rin!" he basically screamed from the bathroom door.

It definitely took Rin by surprise, not only because of the casual use of his given name, but mostly because of the lovely and half-naked figure that stood there looking at him with sparkly eyes.

"Uhh sure. Now hurry up" He signaled him to carry on and turned around.

Nitori quickly closed the door and resumed to his activities, imagining what kind of plans Rin had thought for them.

Meanwhile in the room, Rin still had his back turned to the door, a hand clasped to his heart. He was glad to make Nitori happy, but showing himself almost naked like that was definitely messing with his head. He internally cursed Nitori and his lovely sexy self for playing with him like that.

He shook his head and looked at the clothes splayed on his bed. He was supposed to get ready quickly, but the process of getting changed was turning rather difficult.

Going against every fiber in his body, Rin accepted that the way he was acting was stupid and it made him feel like an idiot. He was set on looking his best since he was going to spend the day out with Nitori, but he was nervous and couldn't decide on anything.  
Nothing felt right, forcing him to change about 4 times before flopping heavily on his bed.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

He stared at the mess of clothes he had made, and pouted. He couldn't decide on what to wear, and it was starting to affect his mood.

He was still sulking on his bed when Nitori burst from the bathroom.

He was wearing a fitted blue t-shirt, matched with some khaki cargo pants rolled up to his calves. Rin had to admit he looked really cute and the thought only made him more frustrated. Nitori looked so cute without even trying, and he had spent 20 minutes trying to look at least somewhat decent.

Nitori noticed the pouting face and got closer to him.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah… I just can't decide what to wear" he admitted, pouting even more and looking to the side.

Nitori giggled and looked at him.

"Want me to choose something for you?"

Rin's face lit up. If Nitori chose something for him, it was bound to be something he liked right? Rin slapped himself internally for thinking like a young maiden in love.

"Yeah, if you don't mind" he answered, a timid smile on his face as he looked up at Nitori.

"Of course! I basically know all your wardrobe by now!"

Nitori looked around for a while, before pulling dark blue jeans, a baby blue button up and a gray cardigan.

Rin eyed the outfit and shrugged, if Nitori liked it, he would wear it.

Once they were both changed and ready to go, Nitori couldn't stop his curiosity anymore and finally asked the question that had been nagging him all along.

"Where are we going se- Rin?"

"It's a surprise" he winked.

The small boy pouted profusely whilst still trailing closely behind his senpai.

When they arrived at the station, Rin noticed Nitori eagerly tapping away on his cellphone. He was probably texting someone, so he didn't made an effort to start a conversation.

Once they were in the train, they were instantly hit by the overflow of people during rush hour. They were crushed against a door, the cramped space making Nitori a little uncomfortable. Rin knew that the boy had a problem with small spaces, and being cramped like this was probably hard on him. So with a racing heart, he reached the other's shoulder, carefully bringing him to his chest where he wouldn't be so crowded.

The light haired boy squeaked at the sudden movement, but once he realized he was being cradled into Rin's chest, he relaxed. He could smell the redhead's scent and even if he was in a small and crowded place, he felt safe and at ease.

They stood like this for a while, knowing that only a couple of stops later most people would get out of the begged to any deity listening that the wild beating of their hearts passed unnoticed by the other boy. Luckily enough, both hearts were racing, making it impossible for them to notice the one that didn't belong to themselves. They also avoided any eye contact; both worried that their eyes would give away their feelings by the look on their embarrassed faces.

They both secretly enjoyed the ride, because even if the were uncomfortable, they were allowed to cling at each other without raising any questioning looks. So they gripped each other tightly, enjoying all the body contact forced on them by their surroundings.

As the wagon emptied out, Nitori clung to Rin even more. He didn't want to let go, but he knew that he didn't have any more excuses to stay in place.

So they looked at each other's eyes, looking for a reason to stay that way, but neither of them could say anything. They separated and sat next to each other, trying to cover the blushes that were adorning their faces.

A buzzing noise informed Aiichiro he had received a new message. He quickly opened up the text, reading it and suddenly turning to a vibrant red shade.

Rin couldn't help the sting of jealousy coursing through his body as he looked at the reactions of the other as he read his messages.

The boy had kept on texting the entire ride to their destination, giggling and tapping happily at whoever was on the other side of the line. Rin was seriously trying his best not to grab the cellphone and throw it out the window before demanding some attention from the boy. His good mood had left long ago and curiosity was gnawing at him, making him impatient.

"Everything alright?" he asked, an annoyed tone in his voice.

"Uhh, yeah. Sorry. It's just a childhood friend of mine" the young boy said, locking the phone and putting it back in his pocket.

Rin made a non-committal sound and looked away. Aiichiro instantly noticed the mood change in his senpai and panicked. Had he done something wrong?

He opened his mouth to ask Rin what was wrong, when the other suddenly rose from his seat walking away.

"We're here" he deadpanned, not even bothering to look at the boy next to him as he got out of the train.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if this chapter seems rushed and just badly written. It was so much longer, that it started to feel boring.
> 
> Anyway, I hope it wasn't that bad. Comments are always welcomed, they make me feel better about my silly rants.
> 
> Also, I HAVE A TUMBLR! for those of you who are interested in watching my slow but certain breakdown as i reblog more and more pictures of all of my otps. yees.  
> it's rinrin-the-shark-teen. tumblah . com


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff. Shameless fluff and some angst because i happen to enjoy making Rin suffer. There you go.  
> Date chapter? HECK YES.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned nor suggested.

The walk to their destination was long and quite frankly, awkward. Neither of the two boys dared to say anything, too afraid of making things even worse. The silence between them was excruciating and it contrasted loudly with their surroundings. They were now walking around a very touristic part of town and the noise, like the sea of cheery people around them made them feel small and out of place.

They might have been feeling out of place, but against all odds, they seemed to rather stand out among the crowd. Neither paid it much attention, both way too focused on the growing distance between them that was tearing them apart. Nevertheless, somewhere along their way they noticed people pointing and watching them and neither of them could shake the off feeling of it. Why were people staring at them?

Both boys could see groups of girls watching them and squealing, making loud noises that made them cringe and worry. They were just girls, they couldn't be dangerous right?

The situation seemed to change once a group of about 4 girls suddenly approached Nitori. They surrounded the light haired boy and started to ask him questions and talking to him at the same time. Rin watched closely, keeping his mouth tight and his eyes peeled, just to make sure nothing bad happened. If he was glaring more than usual, it was really just out of concern and not possessiveness. Really. Like 99% sure.

Nitori on the other hand was panicking. He understood what was happening, but he couldn't make sense of anything that was being said and felt trapped. He wanted to help the girls but they weren't listening to him.

This carried on for a while, and it wasn't until a certain someone made himself noticed while clearing his throat loudly that they all stopped and stared. Right next to the group was a menacing looking Rin, clearly glaring at the girls and kindly (not really) asking them what they wanted with the kid.

None of the girls could muster a word, both intimidated and aroused by the sight that was given to them. Well, at least Nitori was, he didn't know about the girls and quite frankly he didn't care either.

"Well, if you don't need anything else, we'll be taking our leave". And with that said, he threw an arm around Aiichiro's shoulders, bringing him closer to him as they walked away from the fans from hell.

"So annoying" Rin mumbled between gritted teeth. It was really just a comment to himself, but it still managed to get to Ai's ears.

Nitori chuckled to himself before looking at the redhead.

"If you don't like the attention you shouldn't go out looking like that you know?"

"What are you talking about?" Rin looked honestly confused.

"Those girls were just looking for an excuse to talk to you senpai"

"That's stupid. They trapped you because you're cute and girls like cute things" Rin retorted.

At this, Nitori's brow scrunched up.

"No, they wanted to talk to the attractive one. And since I was with you, they wanted my help."

"Ha, right. You should just tone down your cuteness and we should be fine"

"Are you?… Senpai, was that a compliment?"

"What? No. I mean, it's true but I was not… You called me attractive first!"

Rin was stumbling with his own words, scratching at the back of his neck trying his best to look nonchalant and not flustered at all. Needless to say, it wasn't working. At all.

"Well, you are attractive. You know I can't lie. But still, thank you senpai."

Nitori smiled widely and suddenly all the awkwardness from before was forgotten as they started laughing at the odd situation they had just experienced.

"Man, going out with you sure isn't easy" Rin said, a lopsided smile hanging on his face.

Nitori stopped on his tracks. He couldn't have meant that, right?

I mean, it was pretty obvious that Rin didn't see Nitori that way. But Rin's words still made Nitori's stomach flutter and his heart to race. He was only praying that the emotions weren't showing on his face, it would be too much and he wouldn't be able to handle the embarrassment.

Taking advantage of the sudden turn of events, Nitori thought it would be a good moment to ask Rin what had happened. He had noticed the sad look plastered on the redhead's face, and he didn't want to see that look on Rin face ever again. So taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth

"Is everything okay Rin-senpai?"

Rin avoided eye contact once again, and concentrated on walking them towards their destination.

"Yeah" he sighed.

"Are you sure? You don't look too well. Should we go back?"

Rin stopped. He didn't make this much of a fuss just to go back at being a douche and throwing all of his efforts away. He knew he couldn't avoid people liking Ai, it was practically a given if you met the kid. But he couldn't avoid getting jealous either, and it enraged him how shallow and selfish he was. He was doing all of this for Nitori, for the boy that had endured all of his crap, so he would man up and swallow his pride. They could still salvage the date. Even if it wasn't a date. Right? Whatever, that's not important.

"Yeah I'm sure. We're almost there anyway"

"Really? The only place I know around here is the…"

Nitori didn't finish his sentence as he spotted the gigantic building standing in front of him. It couldn't be…?

"We're going to the museum?" Nitori practically squealed as they both stopped a few steps away from the entrance of the building.

"Yeah. There's a new exhibit and thought you might be interested" a tiny smile was starting to pull at Rin's lips seeing the excitement of the younger boy.

His eyes were practically sparkling with joy and his precious smile had finally returned to his face.

"Really? Senpai thank you so much! But… but… why?"

"I remembered you said you liked art, and since I promised to make it up to you, it seemed like a good idea. Or am I wrong?"

"It's a great idea!" the kid beamed, clinging to Rin's forearm before pulling him towards the entrance.

The exhibit was a display of some of the works of Signac and other artists belonging to the neo-impressionist movement. This meant absolutely nothing to Rin, but apparently it meant something to Nitori.

The kid could barely keep his mouth closed, gaping at everything in sight, smiling widely and tugging Rin closer to him as he dragged him around the place.

Art was something very confusing for Rin, so he settled with looking at Nitori instead. The paintings were certainly pretty, but his eyes still ended up on Nitori instead.

He babbled on about the different styles and techniques of each artist, making sure to tell Rin which were his favorites. And they were a lot.

He explained how complex and beautiful everything was, but all Rin could see were small blotches of paint in pretty pastel colors.

They walked for hours in the museum, looking at everything in display since Nitori couldn't stop himself even if he wanted to.

Rin decided that he should bring Nitori to the museum more often. It brought a lovely aura to him. As if he floated through the beauty around, fitting perfectly among the colorful pieces, taking Rin's breath away with each passing second.

It seemed like a perfect place for Nitori if he really thought about it. It was a place where precious and beautiful things were kept safe. He wanted that. He wanted to be the thing protecting the precious boy and keeping all of his beauty between his arms. Rin was lost in his thoughts when Nitori finally brought him back to reality.

"Rin? Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh umm yeah, yeah. I'm okay" He scratched the back of his head again, trying to distract himself just in case Nitori could read his mind and discover all the cheesy fantasies he was having.

"We've reached the end of the exhibit. We can leave now if you want"

"Sure. Let's go"

They walked to the exit, chatting about this artist and this specific painting when Rin stopped. He turned to the kid that was giving him a curious look before adding

"Go on and head out, I'll just quickly go to the bathroom."

"Ok. I'll be by the entrance" the younger replied before turning and taking his leave.

When Rin came back, he was greeted by a laughing Nitori. The gray haired boy was crouching and happily playing with a stray cat. The cat was padding at Nitori's fingers, playfully bringing them to his mouth before rolling on the ground to chase them as they moved around. And just like that, as if he was in a cartoon, Rin felt an over sized arrow dashing through his sped up heart.

Rin made sure to remember that once they were married, they should definitely get a cat, or a dog, anything that made Nitori laugh like that.

That's when Rin slapped himself in the face for the thousandth time that day. He should probably ask the kid on a real date before thinking about getting married, but his fantasies had a mind of their own and he couldn't control them anymore.

He had to admit it was ridiculous how much of a fool he was turning into because of this kid, but deep inside he was enjoying it. So he quickly stuffed the little white envelope in his pocket before running to the laughing boy that had stolen his heart and his sanity.

"Should we head back home?" asked Nitori. Rin could have sworn he heard a little disappointment in the question.

"Nah, I'm not ready to get back. What do you say of go get a bite to eat?"

Nitori's eyes lit up and quickly nodded his head. Rin saw this and warmth ran throughout his body. If this date has started like a complete disaster, they certainly had managed to save it.

"I know a place around here, if you're okay with that."

They were sitting on a swing set, crepes in hand and looking at the sun settling in the park.

"I didn't know you knew the area senpai."

"I used to come here when I was a kid, but I haven't actually been in years. It really hasn't changed. I still like it."

Aiichiro took a bite of his overly sweet crepe before pushing himself a little on the swing. He was preparing for what he wanted to say next.

"I still can't believe you took me to the museum though. I mean, don't take me wrong, but art isn't exactly your thing"

"Well I thought you might enjoy it, so I might as well give it a try. And it's not that I don't like it, I just don't get it. Like, I could have easily painted half of those"

Nitori laughed openly, and Rin instantly frowned at him.

"Oh. You're serious"

"Of course I am. Don't you dare mock me short stuff."

This only made Nitori laugh harder, whipping small tears from his eyes.  
"As if! Last time you tried to draw a shark and it ended up looking like an oven glove!"

"Tch" Rin bit the rest of his crepe and started swinging.

"I'll show you I can"

"I'm sure you will senpai, I'm sure you will"

"Shut up and eat your crepe already. I still don't know how your teeth haven't rotted with all the sweets you manage to eat"

Nitori simply chuckled at him and started swinging too. They kept on talking about their day and Rin's inability to draw. They laughed and teased until the sun had finally set down and decided it was about time to head home.

If their hands brushed lightly against each other on their way back, it was merely a coincidence.

When they finally got inside their cozy dorm, the moon was shining and the hallways were quiet.

They had class next morning, so unfortunately for them, their little fun day was over.

Rin threw himself on his bed, his face looking at the bunk above. He would like to tell Ai to spend the night on his bed again, but he was sure his hormones would bring down any plans of a peaceful slumber. So he pushed his thoughts to the side, trying his hardest to not think of Ai, who, for his long torture, was now taking a shower.

He took a magazine from the pile next to his bed, barely paying attention to it. His head was full with images of the day they had spent and Rin could barely contain the smile on his face.

It was a new feeling for him, this bubbly giddy feeling in his chest. It felt so right and so strange at the same time. He hadn't felt so free and happy in such a long time that he didn't know what to do with himself.

His thoughts were brutally stopped by the chiming of some SHINee song coming from Nitori's phone. Honestly, Rin was sure that if he didn't had such a big crush on Nitori, he would find the tune rather annoying, but knowing it was Nitori's only made it endearing and kind of cute.

The sound stopped and Rin returned to his magazine, but his peace was short lived.

The phone rang and rang and rang until Rin couldn't take it anymore. He got up from his bed and approached the bathroom, calling for Nitori.

"Oi Nitori!"

"Ni-to-ri"

"AIICHIRO!"

"YO SHORTY! YOUR PHONE!"

The water stopped and a small voice responded.

"Did you call?"

"YOUR PHONE IS RINGING. LIKE NON STOP. IT'S ANNOYING!"

"Sorry Senpai! Could you see who it is?"

Sure, he could do that. He was actually dying to know who was calling Ai so late at night.

"It says… Nacchan?"

A loud bang was heard from the inside of the bathroom and soon Nitori's head was peeking from the door. He quickly stole his phone and answered.

"Nacchan! Give me like 5 mi- Yes I miss you too- I – Yes. Okay"

Nitori thanked Rin with a wave before closing back the door and continuing his chat.

Rin slowly walked to Nitori's desk, leaving a small envelope on top of his journal. He looked at the content inside, staring at the little notes he had scribbled.

With a defeated look on his face, Rin tucked himself to bed, staring at the dark.

Nacchan huh… You gotta be kidding me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for reading and keeping up with this thing... Hope you enjoyed it and see you next time!  
> Also thank you for the wonderful comments, you are all so sweet :)
> 
> P.S: for those of you interested in watching me posting endless things about my otps, my tumblr is rinrin-the-shark-teen so there you go! thank again!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life is a roller coaster and things don't always go your way. Or how Rin got slapped in the face by reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own free! nor any of its characters.  
> I know this gets annoying, but it's true. sadly.

Nitori entered the room after having taken an hour-long call in the bathroom.

He knew it was strange and rude to have a phone call in the bathroom, but he didn't want Rin to listen to the conversation he was having.

Nacchan had finally called him, after having been texting him the entire day and asking what he was doing.

Nitori was very glad to hear from his dear childhood friend, but he felt as if Nacchan had constantly interrupted his day with Rin. He still remembered the awkward feeling between them before they got to the museum and his curiosity to know what was on Rin's mind at that time still clawed at him. Still, he was glad they had easily forgotten about it once they carried on with their date. Was it really a date though? He had talked about it with Nacchan but they didn't seem agree on an answer.

Nitori then remembered how he had just left his roommate to take the call and felt bad about his poor behavior.

He was on his way to apologize to Rin when he noticed that the older boy was already asleep on his bunk, covers all the way to his shoulders while facing the wall.

Nitori was definitely disappointed, but he couldn't blame Rin for falling asleep.

He would have liked to thank him properly for the day they had spent, as well as getting a little extra time now that they were back at home. He wanted to relish in the lingering magic before it disappeared and turned into nothing but a beautiful memory; but he had spent and hour on the phone and their day had been exhausting. He himself was tired, both physically and mentally.

As he stood still in the silent room, Nitori noticed how even after having been back for more than an hour, his heart hadn't settled yet. Its pounding was still as raced as it had been the entire day, and without really thinking about it, he put both of his hands over it. He was trying to calm his frenzied beating as well as basking in the warm feeling that had nested in his chest since the start of the day, but to no avail.

He was pretty sure that the entire day had been too much for him. He had always imagined going on a date with Rin, but actually going on one was beyond his wildest dreams. Not that it was an actual date, but you know what I mean.

He was excited to write all of this down on his journal so he would never be able to forget any detail of it.

Finally snapping from his daydreaming, Nitori reached his desk, eager to snatch his diary and set all of his feelings on the paper as if it would take them away from him and his desperate and eager heart.

But just when he was about to pick up his journal, he noticed something sitting on top of it. Without much thought, he picked up the white envelope and opened to see what was inside.

The small gasp that escaped Nitori's lips was barely audible, but just loud enough to make its way to some very attentive ears.

The smaller boy stared at the colorful postcard that was now resting in his hands. He could see the painting that he had told Rin was his favorite. But what took Nitori's breath away was the little note on the bottom.

A little something to remember our day! xox - Rin.

The little note was followed by the date, as if to make sure to remember in detail when their date had taken place. Nitori looked at Rin's boyish writing and the little "hugs and kisses" he had placed on it and couldn't help but smile.

The butterflies in his stomach took flight once again, but not without bringing back a pink taint to his face.

Nitori smiled fondly and turned towards Rin. He knew the redhead was asleep, but he couldn't help the feeling in his chest and the pleas in his mind that asked him to get closer to the other boy.

So, walking on the tip of his toes, he got closer to their shared bunk and sat gingerly on the mattress. He could feel the warmth radiating from his roommate and it took every inch of his self-restraint to not just crawl in with him. So just a little gesture should be enough for now, right?

Before any hesitation could hold of him back, he inched towards the warm body beside him, leaned down and lightly pressed a kiss to the redhead's shoulder.

"Thank you for today Rin. I'll never forget it" he whispered, breath ghosting over the older boy's skin. He decided to get away from Rin before he did anything stupid, so taking as much precaution as he could, Nitori lift himself up and got into his own bed.

Once he settled on his bunk, he got to work, describing every single detail while it was still fresh in his mind. He wasn't sure how long he took, but he fell asleep without noticing, holding the precious book tightly between his arms, a smile plastered on his face.

All the while, a certain redhead was trying his best to calm his pounding heart.

Rin had been taken aback by the sudden call that ended the magic of their day, and decided to sulk in peace on his bunk. He didn't want Nitori to catch up on his gloomy state, so he decided to fake sleep and avoid getting the kid hurt.

But he hadn't expected the actions taken by the smaller boy once he came back.

Rin had heard the gasp after discovering the stupid little gift he had gotten for him, and that alone had put his heart on overdrive.

But now, now he was close to having a damn heart attack.

Rin felt hot all over, his heart pounding so loud that it deafened his ears. He could still feel the feather-like touch of Nitori's lips on his skin and he was still trembling from the effort he made to not jump Nitori on the spot.

All the tired and gloomy feeling he had felt just a moment ago had now flown out of the window, replaced by an inconceivable happiness.

Sleeping was probably not an option for him anymore, so he settled on remembering their date, fantasizing to his heart's content until sleep came and brought him to a peaceful rest.

The week passed rather quickly after that day, both boys busy with their own duties and responsibilities. Between homework, swim practice and exams, the boys were over their heads.

They both ached for the other's closeness or even a few words, but their duties were against any attempt of escaping reality for a while and enjoying each other's company.

-

By the end of the week Rin was tired. He had had enough of papers to write, texts to study and the now more rigorous training.

But the one thing that had been even more exhausting than any of his duties was Nitori. Every day after having finished his tasks, Rin looked forward to some roommate bonding with Nitori, but each time he had approached him, the kid was hung up to his damn phone.

All week, every time Rin peeked at Nitori, he was either texting or talking quietly to someone. Nitori probably had his fair amount of friends but something in Rin's gut was telling him that it wasn't just anyone. He was sure that the person taking every moment of Nitori's time was Nacchan.

A person that Rin hadn't even met, but that he despised with all of his jealous and fragile heart.

Rin was in a constant state of annoyance, having enough of this stranger that was taking his Nitori further and further away from him.

Rin would probably be trembling in fear of losing his already faint chance with the boy if it wasn't for Nitori's new secret habit.

After that eventful night, Rin tried faking sleep again, trying to see if it brought any further action from the light haired boy. To Rin's great surprise, every time he faked sleep, Nitori would carefully place a good night kiss on his skin, whether it be his shoulder or his arms, just before he went to sleep. As the week passed, the boy had grown more and more confident that his Senpai would not wake up from his little touches and made a habit out of it rather quickly.

Unfortunately for Rin, it was never mentioned. Rin was sure that Nitori wouldn't say a thing about it and he couldn't mention it either, since he was supposed to be sleeping, but he had so many questions.

Why is he doing this? Is he interested in me? Or is it just one of those strange things he does? DAMN IT NITORI WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME? You better not fucking stop now.

Every day, as he felt forgotten and neglected from Ai's life, he would remember the moment when soft lips grazed his skin and he would immediately feel better.

He was amazed at how a simple thing could turn his day upside down. So he kept faking sleep every night of the week, waiting eagerly for the pink pair of lips that turned him into a puddle of mush.

To Rin's absolute pleasure, it was finally Friday and all classes had ended. Shortly after the bell announcing the end of classes, Rin received a message from their captain. The text announced that swim practice would be cancelled for the day, with no further explanations, which seemed rather strange to him but decided to let it go and take advantage of the free time that was now given to him.

To his big surprise, not long after the captain's message, he got a call from Makoto inviting him to join the Iwatobi group for some shopping.

Rin was excited to spend some time with his friends and release some steam from the hard week he had just survived. He was trying his best not to think about the fact that both teams had their training suspended, just to avoid getting in more trouble with Gou. But the thought of Mikoshiba and his little sister only brought the worst in him, so he put those thoughts to the side, mustering all the courage he had to ask Nitori to join him and the Iwatobians later on.

The redhead was nervous, which was kind of lame really, if you looked at the situation closely. Here he was, Matsuoka Rin, the imposing and scary swimmer from Samezuka Academy, trembling and fidgeting in front of a first year with a baby face. Rin's ego was something that got easily hurt, and he was glad that there was no one else around to see such an embarrassing situation.

"Ni..Uh..Ai?"

"Mmm?"

"PAY ATTENTION TO ME DAMN IT!" Nitori flinched and immediately turned towards the older boy.

"Oh, sorry senpai. Did you need anything?"

"Ummm… So, umm, I just- I just got a call from Makoto and umm… You know they were asking me to join them on their little useless activities and umm… I was wondering if maybe you would… Um… you would…"

"I would?"

"You would like to join me and the guys from Iwatobi to spend some money and wasting time and what not."

"Are you…are you inviting me to go shopping?" Ai couldn't help giggling at the tsundere attitude exuding from Rin at that moment. He was so uncomfortable letting other know he wanted to spend time with them. It was a really heart-warming sight if he was honest, but…

"Oh. I would love to join you… But I already have plans for today"

"Oh… That's okay I guess… maybe next time"

Rin forced a smile on his face, to make sure that the other boy wouldn't feel any kind of guilt.

"Sorry senpai! I would have loved to come with you, really! But I've been trying to meet with Nacchan all week, and we settled on today, so I can't really cancel on him and-"  
"That…That's fine Nitori. Really. Well, I'm leaving. Have a great time"

Nitori didn't have the chance to say goodbye to Rin as he had already left the room with a hard slam of the door.

-

 

"RIIIIIIN-CHAAAAAAN! Are you there?"

"Huh?"

"Nagisa, let's leave Rin alone okay?"

Makoto gently took Nagisa away from Rin, if only to avoid any kind of unwanted reaction from the short-tempered teen.

"Is everything okay? You seem kind of down" Gentle green eyes looked at him, a hint of concern in them.

"I…Yeah. It's just… I don't really know?"

Makoto could see the confusion traced on Rin's features, and decided not ton pry. He knew that once he was ready, he would come to him.

After Nagisa's little interruption, all of boys from Iwatobi were aware of Rin's off state. They all decided to do their best to at least try and distract him from whatever it was that bothered him.

Rin was lucky enough that his friends knew exactly how to lift up his spirits and bring that predatory but captivating smile back to his handsome face.

He might not seem the type, but Rin was actually a hopeless shop-o-holic. If you paid any attention, past his bad temper and foul mouth, you may notice Rin that was actually quite stylish. His clothes complimented his body, he was not afraid of colors, and there was always some sort of edge in his clothes. So it really took around 5 seconds to get his attention when the group declared their need for some clothes, when Rin's personality kicked in, assuring them that with his help, they would get some clothes that actually looked good on them.

The rest of their afternoon passed in a blur of fabrics and colors, laughing at some fashion mistakes and style offenses as they changed over and over again in an endless stream of clothes. Rin was glad he had such good friends who could take his mind out of dark places exactly when he needed it. So he made sure to repay them by making all of them look hot in their new outfits, I mean, it was the least he could do when he was cursed with an unfaltering fashion sense right?

After spending around four hours changing and trying things on, the group of friends had grown tired and hungry. They quickly decided to go grab something to eat before they had to head home.

Rin had had such a great time that he actually forgot he ever was in a bad mood at all, but everything came back to him as soon as he spotted a particularly light mop of hair in the distance.

"Where are we going to eat?" Rin asked.

"I think there is a fast food restaurant just around the corner. Why? Did you have something else in mind?" That was Makoto, always worried to make everyone happy.

"No, it's fine. I just… I'll be back in a moment okay? Just need to take care of something."

"Where are you going Rin-chaaan?"

"Somewhere where dangerous shotas like you aren't aloud!"

Nagisa puffed his cheeks and resigned to whine about "how mean Rin-chan is" while clinging to Rei's arm.

The rest of the group was still a little suspicious but decided it was better to let him go without any more questioning. They continued their way to the restaurant when they heard Rei's stomach make a loud protest for his lack of food. Turning bright red, Rei hid his face on Nagisa's hair all the way to the restaurant.

-

 

"How about this? Do you like it?"

"Hmmm I'm not sure. It's not cute enough!"

"Ehh? But it doesn't need to be cute Nacchan!" Nitori pouted slightly at his friend.

"Everything needs to be cute Ai-chan!" Nacchan's cheery answer came to Nitori's ears and made him laugh.

"Yeah yeah. Just help me okay? I need this to be perfect!"  
"What about some matching phone straps?"

"That's a great idea!" Nitori beamed and got closer to the tall blonde man next to him.

Rin wasn't jealous really, he wasn't. Except he totally was.

He had been sure that that mop of hair was Nitori's, he could recognize it anywhere without any trouble, but the scene that he had bumped into was definitely not as pleasant.

In the middle of the mall was Nitori, hanging rather closely to a tall, handsome, blonde man with curly and shiny hair, who seemed to be a little too affectionate with his kouhai.

Rin's plan had been to actually call Nitori and ask him o join them for dinner, but his plans dissolved as he watch the couple looking for matching phone straps.

Rin was sure his heart had just cracked loudly, and he quickly placed his hand on his chest to keep himself together. He always knew in the back of his mind, that Nitori spent too much time to talking this guy for them to be just friends. But he had rejected that thought with all his might to keep himself up every day. But now he was spying on them, as they looked for a charm to symbolize their relationship and Rin was sure that even if he tried, he wouldn't be able to run. His legs felt numb and a sting behind his eyes told him that he was close to crying in a public space. So he turned on his feet and slid down the wall where he was hiding, trying to catch his breath. Breathing seemed difficult and his head felt heavy.

He reached for his phone and called Makoto, and in a matter of seconds they were all surrounding him, pulling him up and getting him back home.

Once they were on the bus, Rin fell asleep on Makoto's lap, a few tears rolling down his cheek only to be cleared away by the gentle teen's hands.

They all exchanged a worried look, but neither of them talked during the ride to Samezuka. They left Rin on his bed and tucked him in, posting little notes around his bunk from all of them, instructing him to take care and call them soon.

They were all worried, but they knew Rin needed to rest for now, so with a heavy heart they left the academy and went back home.

When Rin woke up it was 8 pm, he was tucked in bed and little pink post its were scattered around his bunk. Confused as to what had happened, he picked the little notes and read them all with a warm smile on his face.

He knew now that his friends had taken him home after the shock of finding Nitori and his boyfriend at the mall.

He still felt like shit, but his stomach was grumbling, so he decided to go to the vending machine to get something to eat. But as soon as his feet touched the ground, a squeak came from above his head.

"SENPAI! ARE YOU ALLRIGHT? WHAT HAPPENED? DO YOU NEED ANYTHING?"

Nitori basically jumped out of his bunk, landing in front of Rin and was now clinging to his knees and shouting his concern.

Rin's heart cracked just a liiiitle bit more and he winced. This of course only made the younger one to panic even more.

"What did I do? Are you feeling okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"CALM DOWN AI! JESUS CHRIST!"

"Sorry senpai. I'm just worried. What happened to you?"

"Nothing. I'm just a little tired."

"Don't lie to me Rin"

"Tch. Im okay! I just, want something to eat." Rin copied Haru's stern look as he turned away his face.

"Are you hungry? Want me to go get something for us to eat? We could have that marathon we were talking about last week? What do you say?"

"I- Uhh, I don't know"

Rin felt like shit, he felt unwanted and lonely, and he wasn't sure if spending time with the source of his pain was actually a good idea. But watching at those pleading blue eyes, he knew he couldn't say no.

"Ugh, fine. But I get to choose what we watch!"

"Of course! You just get comfortable, and I'll be back in a minute!"

With that, Nitori left, completely oblivious to what was going on Rin's mind. The kid had been so heartbroken when he bumped into the Iwatobi guys and they told him what had happened. He had stayed an hour next to Rin, brushing his hair and waiting for him to wake up, but eventually grew anxious and decided it was better to leave him be.

When he had finally woken up, Nitori felt as if a big weight had been lifted from his chest. He knew it was a selfish thing to do, but he needed to be next to Rin right now, for his own good. He had felt so lonely and useless while Rin was sleeping that he had decided to make everything he could to make the redhead feel better.

He knew that Rin would want to be alone, but he wasn't going to let him. Being that way was the reason of all of his problems, and Nitori wasn't going to let him go back to his old habits.

I'll take care of you senpai. Even If you don't want me to, even if you don't need me, I'll give everything I have to you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this! I really appreciated! I still can't believe i got 1000 hits! thank you guys so much. Comments and reviews are always welcomed!  
> see you next time ~


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are said, things are revealed and finally, things get better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the fluff that your little hearts needed after the last chapter.  
> Because, as much as I enjoy torturing my babies, I also love them being happy.

It was easily around 1 am when Rin and Nitori stopped their little marathon for the night. They were now 14 episodes deep into Rin's new addiction and luckily, Nitori had loved it just as much.

Somewhere along the sixth episode, Rin had dramatically sighed, claiming he was way to tired to sit, and had shamelessly rested his head on Nitori's lap.

The smaller boy froze in place, too aware of the closeness of Rin's face to some other regions that were way too excited of his touching. Nitori blushed bright red and felt his heart accelerate to the speed of light. He could feel his heart thumping frantically against his chest, and he was 99% sure that Rin could hear it too, which didn't help to calm the poor kid.

Rin on the other hand, was deaf to it. He had his own heart and his own burning blush to worry and take care of. He knew that he was taking advantage of his kouhai's easy going personality, but he had felt like shit today and he deserved a little love. Even if it was imposed. So he spent the rest of the marathon, rejoicing in the closeness and the warmth emanating from Ai.

Rin was surprised, to say the least, when Nitori's hand rested on his head, carefully brushing and threading his hair. He didn't know how to react to it, because even if he was more than enjoying the caress, he didn't know if Nitori was trying to say something to him.

So he slowly turned his head, facing up and watching Nitori with a blank expression. When Nitori noticed this, his face went pale, and immediately took his hands back, as if he had just touched fire.

"I'm so sorry Rin! It's just a habit. I used to do this all the time with my little sister, so my hands just kind of went along on their own! Please don't be mad!"

"Calm down Ai, I uhh… actually don't … really mind it. And I'm NOT going to get mad at you. Geez, is that how you think of me?"  
Rin pouted and forced a sad expression on his face, bringing a hand to his face for dramatic effects. This only made his kouhai giggle. Seeing such a playful side of Rin was definitely something he wanted in his life. Like everyday if possible.

"Well, you do kind of remind me of Eren. Just a little bit. So I don't know when you're going to go berserk on me!"

"EHHH? EREN? Are you kidding me? I'm more of a Levi type."

Rin had seemed genuinely offended at the comment, but Nitori kept on teasing.

"Well, you are violent and snarky…"

"Yeah well, you remind me of Sasha!"

"EHH? I don't even eat that much!"

They both stared at each other and exploded with laughter, looking back at the ridiculous conversation they had just held in such a serious manner.

"Maybe not, but you sure are bubbly and persistent" Rin said quietly, disrupting the silence between them as they recovered their breaths.

Nitori only smiled down at him, still passing his fingers through long silky locks.

"I actually liked Marco, but I guess that's not an option anymore" He said, a little sad.

"Yeah. Marco suited you well." Rin mumbled quietly, staring at bright blue eyes that reminded him of the endless sky.

They weren't quite sure how long they stayed that way, just staring into each other's eyes, their minds in a hasty mess and their hearts racing at top speed. But when Nitori's fingers left Rin's smooth hair and ghosted over his face, trailing along his cheeks to stop at his jaw as Rin closed his eyes to lean further into the touch, they both came back to reality.

Nitori quickly retrieved his hands, for the second time that night, and looked at the clock with a fearful expression.

"Wow, look at that! It's already so late! You should rest now since you weren't feeling so good today."

He didn't let Rin answer him, just lifting his head and placing a pillow under it. He ran to the end of the room, opened the door and looked back at Rin

"I'll go for a quick walk! I'll be right back!"

And just as fast as he had detached himself off of Rin, Aiichiro closed the door, leaving Rin alone on his bed.

Nitori ran as fast as he could, he needed to get out of the building and catch some fresh air. His mind was racing faster than he was, thoughts mingling in a thousand questions as his heart screamed at him to go back.

He had lost control of himself for only a second and now it was all ruined. He was sure of it and the look on Rin's face was enough proof for that.

When he finally reached the doors to the outside world, Nitori opened them with a little too much force than needed. He ran towards the garden, passing the benches and flowers and finally sat on the ground.

His breathing was just as raced as his heart, and he needed them both to calm down.

He was trying to convince himself that if he returned to the dorm as if nothing had happened, maybe Rin would forget about it. It was unlikely, but it was still a possibility and he was willing to try.

After a few minutes, Nitori felt a little better, the fresh and cold air helping him to sort his thoughts out. He calmly laid down, looking at the countless stars in the sky to distract himself from the pain in his chest. He always found some kind of peace when he looked at them, and he was hoping it would help this time.

So he stayed like that, staring at the vast dark sky, only regretting not picking a jacket on his way out. The cold air was now getting to him, and he was sure he would catch a cold, but he wasn't ready to go back just yet. Not when he could still feel Rin's skin at the tips of his fingers.

His view was suddenly interrupted when a soft piece of fabric landed on his face.

"You could have at least taken a blanket or something with you. It's freezing out here"

Rin had thrown one of his covers over him, and sat down right by his side. He didn't say anything else after that, allowing the younger to keep meditating on whatever it was bothering him, and decided to just enjoy the silence of the cold night.

Once he would be ready to talk, he would be right beside him, as he had always been for him in the past.

And surely enough, when Nitori was almost certain that he wouldn't burst into tears or vomit some more words, he looked at Rin and gently patted the spot next to him under the covers.

Rin looked at him but didn't question it, pulling the covers over himself and shuffling closer to the younger boy.

"What was that?" he asked, with a serious tone in his voice. His eyes were looking in the distance, avoiding any eye contact. He didn't want to pressure Ai if he wasn't ready, and his face did kind of made the other lose his shit.

Nitori didn't answer; he just kept on looking at the sky. He wanted to answer him, but he still had to clear his own mind.

"Have you ever been in love?"

The question took Rin by surprise. He didn't expect the boy to talk at all, but he had and now he didn't know what to say.

"I have. I mean… yeah"

"Were you scared?"

"Shitless"

"How romantic." Nitori deadpanned, looking at Rin with an unamused face.

"Well, I'm being honest"

Nitori nodded his answer. He knew that Rin was giving him his honest opinion and that was kind of a big deal. He was sure that not so long ago, Rin wouldn't have been so open with him, and he really appreciated it.

"I don't think I've ever been so scared in my entire life"

Nitori had said this so quietly, as if he said too loud, he would break. There was great power inside those words and Rin knew it very well.

This time he felt his heart break completely, no more cracks, only a painful tear. Nitori was in love with this dude, and he didn't know how to react. He wanted him to be happy, even if it wasn't with him, even if it was tearing him apart. And that's just how love works after all, isn't it?

"Well, they say that it's all worth it in the end"

"You really think so?"

"I do. You should just tell this person how you feel. I do think it's worse to keep holding on and never knowing what could have happened than actually getting rejected."

"…I guess you're right"

"Yeah…"

Rin looked down, staring at the ground underneath him. Never in a million years he would have guessed that he would end up giving love advice to Nitori. To encourage him to confess to some tall beautiful dude he didn't even knew. He wanted to crawl back to his bunk and cry until the end of time. It just seemed so unfair. He had finally accepted his feelings, and he had worked hard on giving back all the love that Nitori deserved. But he had lost, and that's just how life had always been to Rin. He always got so close to his goal, only for it to be ripped away from him, leaving him broken.

He tried his best to keep himself together, to hold everything back. He wasn't going to cry in front on Nitori, not when he had enough problems on his own.

He would do what Nitori had done all along with him; he would encourage him to go on, to take his dreams in hand and carry on.

"There's something I've been wanting to tell you Rin"

Rin snapped back from his miserable thoughts to listen to Nitori once again.

"What is it?"

Nitori sat back up, fetching something from his pocket and keeping it tightly in his hands.

"I wanted to thank you properly for what you did last week."

"I already told yo-"

"Please let me finish."

Nitori seemed to be on the verge of crying and that scared Rin. It scared him even more than being told he loved someone else. He couldn't take the sight of Nitori being in any kind of pain. So he just nodded, telling the other to keep going.

"I had never been so happy in my life before. That day is something that I will never forget and it's all thanks to you. And I know that this might seem sudden and out of place, but I need to say it because I don't think I can keep this inside anymore"

Ai turned to the side, looking straight at Rin. The redhead sat up too, looking intently at the smaller boy in front of him.

"I know it's stupid, and you don't need to use it, but I wanted to give you something back. I needed to give you something because you gave me all of these happy memories that I'll keep with me forever and I just didn't know how to show you how grateful I am."

He slowly reached for Rin's hand, placing his palm over it and letting something slide between them.

Rin could feel Nitori's palm over his, warm skin against his, sending shivers all over his body.

He looked back at those blue eyes he loved so much, only to see a single tear sliding down his pretty face.

"Ai what's wrong? Why are you-"

"I like you"

…

"What?"

Nitori just looked down, more tears falling down his face and landing on the fisted hands over his lap.

Rin was sure he was dreaming. This wasn't happening, was it? He looked down at his hand, opening it slowly, only to find a phone strap with a little shark on it.

He closed his hand around it, feeling it around, as to make sure that this was real. He then pushed himself forward, covering the shivering figure in front of him with his own arms.

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm-so-so-rry-Rin!"

"What are you sorry for?"

"I don't want you to hate me now"

Rin felt as if someone had punched him right threw his chest and straight into his heart. Did Nitori really think he would hate him for something like this?

"I would never hate you. Much less for something like this."

Rin rubbed his kouhai's back, soothing him and trying to make the crying stop. His answer seemed to do the trick, when Nitori detached himself to rub at his puffy eyes.

"Really?"

Nitori lifted his head, looking up at the crimson eyes focused on him. He had never expected to keep Rin as his friend once he had confessed his feelings, and Rin didn't falter to notice the glint of hope in those eyes.

With a gentle and quick move, Rin pulled the cover over Nitori's head and draping him with it.

He then took Nitori's face between his hands, gently removing the few tears that were still sticking to his face. His thumb traced the soft skin of Ai's cheeks, and he felt his arms grip just a little tighter around his waist.

Rin looked at Nitori's eyes, mesmerized by them as he leaned closer and closer.

They could both feel each other's breath between them, theirs faces so close that they might as well be kissing. But they just stared, taking in every inch of the one in front of them, making sure that this was real, making sure that they wouldn't forget a single detail of the face staring back at felt as if time was going by slowly, everything around them disappearing and the only thing left was them. Finally, Rin tilted his face just a little bit, enough to give Nitori a reassuring smile:

"I could never, in a thousand years, hate you for linking me Ai"

Before he could even process what Rin had said, Nitori felt a soft pair of lips graze against his own. They were barely touching, but the sensation burned on his lips. He gasped at the touch, eyes fluttering shut as he let himself be kissed.

The kiss was soft and quick, a confirmation of untold feelings to their troubled minds. Rin was still holding Ai's face between his hands, and the younger boy kept his eyes closed, just basking in the touch. If this was a dream, he didn't want it to end.

He could feel the warmth of Rin's face fluttering around his, not really touching but close enough to feel it all over and putting his senses on edge.

Rin finally placed a tender kiss on Nitori's beauty spot before whispering to his ear:

"I like you too"

Rin brought his arms around Nitori's waist, pulling him into his chest as they laid down again. Ai rested his head on the crook of Rin's neck, breathing in his scent.

They both stayed like that, clinging to each other tightly, looking at the beautiful night sky above them. They had so many things they needed to ask, so many things to make clear, but for now, all they needed in the world was resting securely between their arms and that was all they could have ever asked for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Progress? Happy ending? Who would have thought I was capable of such things! Anyway, I hope it wasn't a let down. I just needed this as much as you guys did and couldn't wait any longer.
> 
> Thank you for reading and reviewing! See you next time :)
> 
> Also, special thanks to Cory, G and aobaseragaki for your comments :D! and also, everyone for the kudos! they make my day!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin is trying, he is also an idiot and Ai almost gets a heart attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing but fluff for you guys (and a liiiiittle angst but not really) and sorry for taking too long to post this, i forget. Mostly with midterms and all that. Anyway, hope you enjoy :D

For those who have been fortunate enough to have never experienced the agony of finding out where your relationship stands after a confession, let me tell you this: it is a time of constant anxiety, self-doubt and sweaty hands.

And to say that things between Rin and Ai were awkward is in fact, quite a big understatement.

Hearts and brains battle each other for control, leaving behind, two very nervous teens with their hearts on their sleeves.

After their very unexpected confessions and an even more unexpected first kiss, the boys had to face reality. For as much as they wanted to escape it and stay in their perfect little world under the stars, it was time to get back to the dorm and face the facts.

The walk back to the dorms was quiet, both boys too immersed in their thoughts and bracing themselves for what was yet to come.

They both knew that they had to have "the talk", meaning that they would have to yet again, expose themselves and try to figure out where this new turn of events would take them.

So when they entered the room, door shutting behind them, they were much too aware of the awkward and tense atmosphere weighting them down.

They stood in silence, unable to speak their troubled minds; too worried to even chance a stolen glance.

Too many insecurities filled their heads, and too many doubts were eating at them to actually see that they were both in the same situation.

So after a good ten minutes had passed and neither of them dared to talk, Nitori decided that this was too much for him and finally spoke up:

"Well, I think I'll just change and go to bed now" He tried his best to fake a confident smile and shrug off all the awkwardness that was suffocating them.

Rin, not knowing what to do, just nodded, and headed to bathroom to change, too eager to get under his sheets and ignore the awful feeling in his chest.

He was so out of it that he was oblivious to the fact that Nitori had just implied the exact same thing, and ended up bumping into the smaller boy.

Both of them were quick to apologize and distance themselves from the other. It would be funny if it weren't for the fact that they were secretly freaking out inside their heads.

Nitori squeaked something before running towards the bathroom and locking the door while Rin quickly turned on his heels and dived under his covers, too certain that pajamas were overrated and unnecessary at this point.

Rin was still under his covers when Nitori got out of the bathroom and stepped back into the dorm. Trying his best to not make a sound, he got to his bunk, safely pulling his own sheets over him, too aware of the faint smell of Rin that still lingered on them.

He snuggled even more into them, breathing in the scent, oddly making him feel better after the eventful night they just had.

He wanted, more than anything, to just crawl his way into Rin's bunk and rest his head on his warm chest as he had done earlier today. The feeling of being held by Rin and sharing that false sense of security was something that Nitori could hardly forget. And now that he knew the feeling, he was absolutely sure that he not only needed it, but he was addicted to it.

But little did he know, that just under his bunk, under warm and comfy blankets, a certain redhead was thinking the exact same thing.

Rin on the other hand, was having other dilemmas playing with his mind. Rin always knew he had problems sleeping, some kind of side effect from his hard time back at Australia. But now, he was debating if having Nitori sleep between his arms, limbs tangled with his own, would help to relax him and lull him to a peaceful slumber. Even if it didn't work, he wouldn't mind trying it. Like, right now. Because, despite how hard he tried to deny it, Rin could still feel the tingling sensation all over his body where Nitori had pressed his small and precious body against him.

But after tonight events, he doubted that would even be an option any time soon, so Rin did the closest thing to it, bringing one of his pillows closer to his heart and hugging it tightly.

He had gambled his heart tonight, and he hoped that for once in his life, things would go his way. Because this had been an all or nothing kind of bet, and he wasn't sure how he would ever recover if he ever lost.

Overwhelmed by all of these concerns, Rin fell asleep, missing the small "Good night Rin" that sneaked out of his kouhai's lips only to fall on deaf ears.

The next morning was, to their great misfortune, still very awkward. They were both too aware of the other and kept involuntarily bumping into each other. I was driving them crazy how ridiculous this situation was, but they couldn't think of a solution to save them from this hell.

It wasn't until Rin tripped Nitori, quickly managing to catch him, that things got a little better.

Rin stood there, with Nitori in his arms, in a very dramatic pose, as if they just had ended a very passionate tango.

Rin, despite his bad mood, smiled at the ridiculous stance that they had managed to pull and this brought an earnest smile to Ai's face.

"This is so stupid" Rin scoffed while shaking his head in absolute disbelief of his own life.

He stood up correctly and allowed Nitori to get back on his feet. The smaller boy looked at him, a pink blush on his cheeks.

"Thank you for just now"

"Whatever. I kinda tripped you anyway so... It was the least I could do"

Nitori just looked down at his feet, small pale hands fumbling with the hem of his shirt. He wanted to saw something, ANYTHING, that could help them get out of this funk, but Rin got ahead of him.

"Listen, I'm tired of this … this thing here"

Nitori quickly looked back at him, a hurt look on his face.

"So you do regret it after all" He said, in such a small voice, that if it wasn't for Rin's proximity, he would have never heard it.

"I will get hurt if you keep thinking that way about me, you know?"

This earned a confused look from his kouhai.

"What I meant was, that I'm tired of this awkward thing between us. I meant what I said yesterday okay? I don't regret any of it. I just… I just don't understand what's happening now."

"You really mean that?"

"I can't lie. You know that." Luckily for Nitori, he wasn't the only one blushing now.

"It's just that… I… I don't know where we go from here" he continued.

Seeing at the kid next to him, Rin was quick to notice that he wasn't the only one lost and nervous, and that eased him a bit.

"Listen, what if we give it a try? Like a one week trial kinda thing?"

"Uh?"

"Like, we go on dates or something for the rest of the week, and by the time the weekend comes, we can talk where we want this to go. What do you think?"

"Uhh… well I guess it's okay."

"Your conviction baffles me Ai" Rin deadpanned.

"I don't think I quite understand it, but I trust you, so it's okay"

"Tch. You better."

Nitori giggled, but nodded his agreement and went to get his things. They were already late for class and he didn't want to get in any trouble.

"Trial week begins now" Rin said, a smirk drawing itself on his face. That alone was more than enough to make Nitori nervous, but what Rin had planned left him being an absolute mess.

Before they could get out of their room and run towards their classes, Rin quickly placed a kiss on Nitori's cheek and ran away as fast as he could.

"Don't be late" he shouted to the stunned boy.

Nitori just stood there, watching as his senpai rapidly escaped after leaving him with weak knees and holding onto the doorframe, fighting down the turmoil inside.

After a few minutes he dusted himself off and walked towards his class, trying his best to calm the butterflies raging inside of him as well as the blush that colored his face.

To say that he had trouble concentrating during the rest of the day is yet another understatement. But to be fair, he wasn't the only who would need tutoring later on to catch up on the things that couldn't get into their minds beside the one who made their hearts race.

When school was finally over, Rin hurried back to his dorm. It certainly wasn't because he wanted to see the cute face of a certain boy who also happened to be his roommate, nu huh. He just needed to get his things before swim practice, or at least that's what he was going with.

Rin decided it wouldn't hurt to look for possible date ideas beforehand just to not find himself with nothing to do once swim practice was over. Seeing that he still had a little time before Ai made his way back to the room, he searched around for tips and tricks and other…stuff. You know like, research. He wasn't planning or anything, he just wanted to be prepared in case something happened. It was healthy curiosity really. He was a teenager in development after all. That was it. Nothing else. Nope.

He was quick to close his laptop and push it away though, once Nitori entered the room to gather his things as well.

His cheeks were red, making a failed attempt to match his hair, and his eyes were wide. For some reason, he felt like a deer caught under headlights, even though it was stupid since Nitori had no idea of what he had been doing.

"How was your day senpai?"

"It was uhh… It was okay I guess?"

Rin was acting weird, and Nitori didn't fail to notice. He knew him too well by now and he knew when he was trying to hide something from him.

That's when he noticed the closed laptop right next to him and curiosity took the best of him. He wanted to get back at him for teasing him this morning and this seemed like the perfect opportunity for it.

"Oh. Are you feeling okay? You seem a little agitated"

When Rin noticed that Nitori was getting closer and closer to him, the started panicking internally.

"I'm I'm perfectly fine! What are you saying?" He tried his best to sound like his normal and angry self, but his voice betrayed him and his hands started shaking.

"Are you really? Or are you just lying to me? Cause I see you sweating, and your face looks a little flushed." Nitori pointed a finger at him, faking concern.

"I already told you I'm fine! We should go before we're late for practice!"

"Hmmm. I'm still not sure if should let you go. Even your hands are shaking. You don't look too well Rin"

Rin swallowed loudly, backing away slowly until he hit the wall. Nitori sat on his bed, leaning in closer and placed his forehead against Rin's.

"You're hot you know?"

Rin was squirming under Nitori's touch now; too aware of all the innuendos he was playing with.

"Is there anything you want me to do for you? Or are you okay with going to practice like this?"

Rin honestly didn't know what was happening. Nitori was too innocent to be implying what he thought he was implying. His pants certainly felt a little tighter, but he couldn't be referring to that… right?

Nitori detached himself from Rin, sitting on his legs, almost straddling him.

He passed his hand over Rin's cheeks, to make sure he wasn't actually sick. But when he noticed that he wasn't, he carried on with his plan.

"I think we should look for some advice. What do you say?"

Nitori quickly picked up the laptop and opened it, ready to search for some odd and disgusting home remedy for Rin's fake illness.

Rin tried his best to snatch his laptop back from Nitori's hands, but it was too late. The boy had seen what was on his computer and now he wanted the earth to swallow him whole.

Nitori certainly hadn't expected that when the computed was turned back to life, and now he was frozen in place, a full-blown blush covering him all the way to his ears and neck.

He abandoned all of his plans, and got to his feet, quickly grabbing his things and getting to the door.

"We don't want to be late!" he said, a tiny smile on his face.

Rin couldn't believe his luck. The one time he had looked for porn and he had to be found by the boy he wanted to convince to date him.

Way to go Rin! He scolded himself.

He picked up his bag and flung it over his shoulder, catching up to the boy who was waiting for him by the door.

The short walk to the pool was silent, just as it had been the night before.

During this time, Rin tried to gather the words to explain himself to Nitori. He didn't want him to take this the wrong way or have him thinking that this is what he wanted. Even if he did. But this wasn't the time. He just needed to say something.

On the other hand, Nitori's brain was on overdrive.

Nitori had always been so certain that Rin was straight. But if he had accepted having feelings for him, that meant he was gay right? And if he was gay it was only normal to look at that kind of stuff. He himself had some magazines lying around the bedroom. This was normal. They were teenagers crazed by hormones after all, so this was okay. He didn't need to panic over it.

But still, a tiny voice on his head kept insisting on other things. Like maybe Rin just wanted to have so fun. Maybe he just wanted a friend with benefits and that's why they weren't together yet.

But he also knew that Rin would never take advantage of him. It wasn't his style.

So… what was he going to do now? Or what were THEY going to do now?

Luckily his thoughts were interrupted when Rin spoke up.

"Look… I don't know what you're thinking, but that's not it okay?"

"What?"

"I wasn't…doing anything just now"

"Oh, I know that. Don't worry."

"And that's not what I meant by dates okay? I just want to be sure you understand that"

"Uhh, yeah."

"Really Ai. I'm not forcing you into anything here."

"O-okay"

To Rin's eyes, Nitori didn't seem convinced, but he had made his point and it wasn't in his nature to just keep nagging about it. Also, the quicker they could forget about this, the better.

So he just kept on walking, making their way to the pool.

Once practice started though, Rin was quick to catch the consequences his little research would have on him, and he was now regretting all the decisions he had made in his life.

He was grateful that all his blood had redirected itself into other parts of his body when Nitori opened his computer, avoiding him some more awkward moments. But now that they were all around the pool, things started to get tricky.

Rin couldn't take the images he had seen out of his head, making him all flustered and bothered.

He never really paid any attention to the abundance of half naked bodies all around him before, and even now when he was more than aware, they still didn't catch his attention. But there was one tiny motherfucker who was just messing with his mind.

It was so stupid really, if you thought about it. Rin had seen Nitori's body a thousand times, since they practiced together every single day, and he helped him with his training on a regular basis. But now, now all he could do was stare at that slim body of his like a creep.

Even when he had found out about his feelings towards his kouhai, he mostly thought about his face, and how cute and girly it was. He never really noticed his body until now, when he was wearing what Rin was sure was the tiniest pair of swimming trunks in the entire universe. It was as if the world was mocking him really.

There was also the fact that he had never liked a guy before, and it was a new and strange concept. He was used to look at a girl's cleavage like any other man, but now all he could look at was at Ai's perfect ass. He really liked it apparently, since he couldn't stop staring at it. Mostly when he was at the starting blocks and bending forwards.

He knew he needed to stop being a creep and worry about his own training, but his mind had other plans for him and he couldn't resist.

He spent half of practice just carefully taking in every inch of Ai's body while he knew that no one would think badly of him.

It was the perfect excuse to just say that he cared for Nitori's improvement, so he was simply paying close attention at his form so he could help him later on.

But it was a lie, a vile lie he would indulged in if it meant that he could keep looking at Ai's muscular legs, his lean but built arms, his broad shoulders, and the perfect curve between his back and his bum.

Of course, not everything was as perfect as that, Rin noticed, when it was his turn to get in the water and he had to remove the towel that covered his lap.

He managed to get to the starting blocks without much problem and once he hit the water, every dirty thought in his mind seemed to wash away.

He did his laps, and even managed to shave a few seconds from his time, realizing that maybe it wasn't such a bad day after all.

That was of course until his last lap, just as he was about to hit the wall. He saw Nitori waiting for him at the edge of the pool and he couldn't help but notice those pronounced hip bones and getting a little distracted. This caused him to hit the wall with his head a little bit too hard, making the entire team gasp and run to help.

Luckily for him, it wasn't a big deal, just a bump a minor headache, but he did manage scare everyone around.

After the school nurse thoroughly checked his head and made sure that it wasn't anything serious, she send him back, only to be sent back once again, only this time to his room by a very concerned captain.

He even asked Nitori to take him there, just to make sure he got there safely.

It was clear to everybody that Rin was in a foul mood, and he probably didn't want to be disturbed, so Nitori quickly helped him get into bed, and made his way towards the door.

"You're leaving?" Rin asked, quite surprised.

"I thought you would want to be alone. You look a little tired, so I figured you would go to sleep."

"I can't. We have plans for today"

"Don't worry about that! We can go somewhere tomorrow. Just try to rest a bit okay?"

"Don't wanna"

Rin was, honest to god, pouting and sulking like a 5 year old. He had managed to ruin their first day of the trial and now Nitori wanted to leave him alone.

"Don't be like that. You really scared us back there"

"Yeah well, it was all your fault"

"EHHH? How was it my fault?"

"Well, you distracted me"

"How did I even do that?"

"With your stupidly tiny shorts, that's how!"

Nitori blushed and tried to muffle his laughter. Rin wasn't looking at him, but he was sure that he was not only pouting, but he was probably blushing too.

"You are too cute, you know that?"

Nitori made his way back to the bed, and sat at the edge.

"Am not"

"Sure, whatever you say"

"Don't belittle me shorty!" Rin said as he turned around, ready to lash at him, only to find Nitori's face inches away from his own.

Nitori leaned in, gently placing his lips over Rin's. And just as the night before, time seemed to stop. Everything in the room fading to black, leaving nothing else but two hearts finally meeting again.

He then leaned back, gently stroked Rin's hair, making sure not to touch his injury.

"We could always stay in, maybe watch a movie and eat some ice cream?"

"W-whatever"

Nitori giggled to himself once again. Rin trying to act cool while still wearing such an obvious blush all over his face was kind of adorable really.

"Okay, then I'll bring some ice cream after practice is over okay?"

At the sound of this, Rin lifted himself up, looking surprised, if not actually betrayed.

"You're still leaving me?"

"Well, practice is not over yet and I have to improve my time and-"

Nitori couldn't finish his sentence when he saw the sad look on Rin's face. For once Rin actually wanted him by his side, and who was he to refuse him?

"Choose a movie, I'll just go get the ice cream okay? I'll be back in a second!"

When Nitori came back, he had two big bags in his hands, way too big for it to be just ice cream.

"I got us dinner as well. I hope that's okay."

"Sure. Just get over here."

Nitori ran towards the bed, bringing the ice cream with him.

He had to admit he was a little surprised when Moulin Rouge started playing. Rin really was a hopeless romantic after all, wasn't he?

They both munched happily at the dessert, completely engulfed by the movie, until Rin started to suspiciously sniff and tug at his eyes, pretending like he wasn't crying.

Nitori decided that it was probably a bad idea to bring it up, so he just added one more thing to his list of Reasons why Rin is cute.

Later on, they decided to have dinner, never leaving Rin's bed, and watch another movie.

Not so long into the second movie, Rin fell asleep, his head resting on Nitori's chest and his arms around his waist.

When Nitori noticed this, he closed the laptop, setting it aside and tried to untangle himself from Rin's grip. He really wanted the other to rest and take care of that bump.

But his plans were ruined once he moved one of Rin's arms and woke him up.

"Where are you going" Rin asked, free hand rubbing at his sleepy eyes.

"To my bunk. You should get back to sleep"

"I am" he said, putting his arm once again around Aiichiro waist.

"Rin, I'm serious. You need to rest"

"That's what I'm doing. I don't know what you're doing though"

"Trying to let you sleep" Nitori answered, clearly not amused.

Rin just tightened his grip and nuzzled closer to him.

"Just… don't leave. Please"

Even if he wanted, Ai would never be able to resist Rin's pleas, so he just sighed and made sure to put everything else away.

Gladly, the lights were already off, so he just went back under the covers, allowing Rin to snuggle back into him.

It was kind of a funny picture if you took notice of the different heights between the boys, what with the taller one being curled up onto the smaller boy's chest.

Nitori stared up at the bottom of his bunk, slowly stroking red hair, letting it slide between his slim fingers and wondering how he ever got so lucky.

Going by the even breathing of the boy tangled to him, Nitori assumed he was dreaming by now, but was pleasantly surprised when his head moved and looked up at him.

"Can't sleep?"

"I'm not really that tired"

He smiled down at him, tracing his fingers along his face.

"You really scared me today you know? I almost passed out when they pulled you out."

Rin hugged him a little tighter and nuzzled back into his chest.

"I'm sorry"

"It's okay. It was an accident."

"Thank you for staying with me"

Nitori wanted to look at that face so badly, but being it Rin, he made sure to hide away before confessing something so personal.

"Anytime" Nitori whispered quietly. He placed a kiss on top of Rin's head, before pulling him closer and he could swear he felt Rin smile against his skin.

"Good night Rin"

"Good night Ai"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Also, since I do feel kind of bad for taking so long to update, I could post the next chapter if you guys really want?? You tell me :) Thank you for reading and see you next time!


	11. Special chapter: Ai-chan's journal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a little view into Nitori's private journal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just an extra, like a little bonus. But don't worry, the next update will me tomorrow. Like proper story and shit.  
> ENJOY :D

Tuesday, September 28th:

Today Rin-senpai took me to the little coffee shop down town that I've been dying to try for a while now. As soon as practice ended, he told me to quickly shower and change into some comfy clothes since he was taking me out.

I really didn't think we would still go on with the week trial, but he definitely took it to heart.

I was so happy that he remembered how much I've wanted to try the new pumpkin latte down there. Seasonal flavored drinks are kind of a guilty pleasure and I think that's why he decided to take me there.

It was kind of awkward at first; too much pressure on us to make it feel like a date, as if we didn't already spent 90% of our time together. It was really strange. But still Rin-senpai tried really hard to get out of his comfort zone and we actually talked the entire time we stayed there. It wasn't a one-way talk like we usually have, where I fill all of the empty space with my thoughts just to have some kind of communication with him.

I still can't believe he is trying this hard. Though, Rin-senpai always tries his best. That's one of the reasons why I admire him so much. He never settles for less and I really wish to accomplish that someday.

Anyway, our date went really well. We talked for like 2 hours, about future plans and Seijuurou's new routines among other things.

All in all, we had a nice time without any problems. Well, almost. The only small problem was the weird exchange between senpai and the young barista that took our orders, which I still don't understand. He looked really scared and Rin kept glaring at him for no reason. Sometimes I really worry about him. Hopefully, I will be able to help him and bring back that cheery attitude he used to have. Or at least, that's what I like to think will happen.

Wednesday, September 29th:

Today was our third date for the week trial. This time, senpai took me to the mall downtown. He had been acting weird all day and it made me nervous because I didn't understand why.

He had been flustered and got mad for absolutely no reason at all. I mean, he always does that, but today was even worse.

When I asked him what we were going to do at the mall he just screamed something in English and stomped away. I had to run to catch up to him feeling that he would leave me behind if I didn't, and that's when it happened. He took my hand, no shame and no second thoughts about it and that was the exact moment when I spaced out for the rest of the day, never really noticing where we were going.

It wasn't until I set foot in the store and practically ran into Rin-senpai, and technically coming back down from my cloud that I noticed where we were.

We were in the same store he had found Nacchan and I that one time, but I still didn't understand why we were there.

Rin-senpai just grabbed me by my shoulders and directed me towards one of the many things on display.

With a blush covering his handsome face, he asked me to close my eyes. I thought it was a really strange thing to ask, but I can't say no to him. So I closed my eyes and then my hands were pulled up, palms facing upwards and I started to feel a little nervous. I didn't like not knowing what was happening, but I trusted him.

That's when I felt a cold and small object on my hands. I asked him if I could open my eyes and he said yes, a nervous laughter escaping from him. What I found was a phone strap just like the one I had given to him, only this time it was a small fish with black stripes along his body.

I looked at Rin-senpai and only found him wearing an even bigger blush. He told me that the little animal was called a pilot fish and that they were the only friends sharks really had. He was mumbling his words as he explained and I found it so very endearing.

Whoever said senpai has no heart really didn't know what they were talking about. Rin-senpai has the biggest heart out of all the people I know. Well, maybe he compares to Tachibana-san, but he is basically a saint and I don't really know him.

Anyway, now we have matching straps on our cellphones and I really couldn't think of a better way to have spent our third date.

P.S: I recently noticed that sometimes when I'm feeling lonely, I hold my little pilot fish very tightly in my hands and every bad thought just goes away.

Thursday, September 30th:

Rin-senpai told me he had planned for us to go watch a movie, but since we already spent our first day of trial week watching movies together, we had to think of something else to do.

I've been to dates before, I used to plan all of my dates before, but I still don't know why I couldn't think of any possibilities for us to do.

Luckily Rin-senpai thought of a nice picnic by the beach that is a quick trip away from here.

I think it has been my favorite date so far. He insisted on cooking or well "preparing the food" as he kept saying, since there was very little cooking to do. He made us some burgers that he had learned how to prepare back in Australia. They were really good.

We spent like and hour together just preparing a basket with all our goodies and a blanket for our date. It was a strange feeling really. Kind of … domestic-ish? I don't think I could quite explain how it felt, but I wouldn't mind doing it more often. Like every day of our lives. But I don't have to rush and think about things like that. We are still trying this thing between us, but I am sure of my love for Rin-senpai. I just hope he is as sure of it as I am.

Once we were in the beach, we ate peacefully, watching the kids play and the never-ending ocean painted in orange tones by the sunset.

It was beautiful, but honestly not as much as Rin. He keeps insisting on me calling him by his name, and I am really trying but it's a habit and it's kind of hard to break it. During our lunch I made the horrible mistake of sweeping a ketchup-covered finger across his cheek in a maybe a little teasing way, but I definitely didn't expect what came next.

When Rin realized what I had just done, he smirked that dangerous and completely hoy smirk he does when he's up to no good and I knew in that instant that I was dead. He leaped to his feet, bringing the mayo bottle with him and started a food fight in the middle of the beach.

Of course, people stared at us as if we were lunatics, but we had so much time just chasing each other and tacking over the sand as we played, that we didn't really cared about it.

After we finished eating and battling, we stayed sitting there still catching our breaths, just watching the sun go and hide under the moving waves that came crashing by our feet. It was a little chilly, but the warm feeling that settled all over as he crossed his arms over me as pulled me closer was all the heat that I would ever need. He has been so nice to me, and I still feel like I should return some of his attentions, so on some occasions, I allow myself to place little kisses on his cheek. If the blush and small smile on his face are something to go by, I would say that he enjoys them.

Tomorrow is our last date before the weekend finally rolls out and I can't help but wonder how this week will end.

Friday, September 31st:

Today is our last official day for the week trial. We both seemed equally nervous and eager, ready to go to a fancy dinner downtown. Rin-senpai took one of his suits out, and we were just about to get ready when his cellphone rang.

That's where everything turned around. Today is Nagisa-kun's party at Nanase-san's place. We had completely forgotten about it. Nagisa-kun wanted to celebrate Rin-senpai's return to their circle of friends, and we had all settled on this day weeks ago. It just happened to end up being the same day as our last date and we couldn't really cancel, since Rin-senpai was the whole reason behind it. So, to much of our disappointment, we had to cancel our reservations and get ready for the sleepover back at Nanase-san's place.

To be honest, I am kind of sad about our date, but also a little anxious about being introduced to senpai's friends. Mostly though, I'm just nervous about how everything will turn out at the end of the week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! I still can't believe this has around 1500 hits. I really appreciate all of your comments and I usually reply to them all, so they are very welcomed.  
> I hope it isn't disappointing, but if it is, as I said, tomorrow you get the next chapter.  
> Thank again :D and see you next water time~


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Party at Haru's, everyone is lovely except Nagisa who is a little shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just as promised: next chapter! More interactions with the iwatobi swim club because why not. I love them all.   
> Here you go, and I hope you enjoy!

It was a Friday afternoon, around six thirty and two boys were inside their dorm back at Samezuka Academy. Rin and Nitori were pacing around their dorm, packing around for the sleepover that had ruined their plans.

Today, this very Friday had turned into a very expected day for the both of them. After a few discussions, some misunderstandings and a very emotional confession, both boys had come to realize that maybe, just maybe, there was the chance to find happiness in each other. Both of them had struggled through their restrained love, never expecting it to ever be corresponded, but faith had something else in mind, playing tricks on them until the truth was finally revealed.

Today was supposed to be the day, the very day when things would clear up, showing them that everything they ever wanted was right in front of them, at the end of their eager fingers, but life is never easy and their plans had come to an abrupt end very fast.

Rin was conflicted, to say the least. Being back with his friends was something that he had been waiting and dreaming since the day he left for Australia. But now, just now, he kind of wanted to escape everything and take Nitori along with him. He had never realized that the young boy had slowly taken over his mind, pushing his old concerns aside, and filling his mind with rosy colored fantasies. He would never admit to it, but Ai practically occupied his mind all day everyday.

He was supposed to take this adorable little thing to dinner tonight, and confess his feelings to finally have the happy ever after he had never really could have before.

He had been looking forward to this day since the start of the week, even going as far as asking his mother and sister to help him pick out an outfit. Needless to say, both women squealed and showered him with cuddles after they realized that he indeed had a heart underneath all of that angst of his.

Both of them helped him choose a suit that complimented his figure (thanks to Kou of course) and a tie that matched his hair. He had to admit to himself that he looked quite good when he admired himself in the mirror. He couldn't wait for Ai to look at him in this; he wanted to make the small boy a complete and utter mess. But he was sure that Nitori wasn't someone who would let something so important just slip, and had surely picked something that would make Rin's sanity jump out of the window in the moment he laid eyes on him. But unfortunately, none of that would be happening, at least not tonight. Maybe they could reschedule their reservations for tomorrow night? It was definitely an option, and Rin was about to mention it but when he turned around to say it he found himself with a sight that made him have a tiny seizure.

Bent over and shaking his perfect and round butt was Ai, dancing to some song playing on his iPod as he put his stuff into the turquoise duffle bag on the floor.

Rin was sure the gods were testing him 90% of the time he spent with his roommate, because this was honestly ridiculous.

There were two options on the redhead's mind: either Ai didn't notice how his actions had an awful effect on him, or he completely knew about it and just enjoyed torturing him with all the sly things he did with that innocent face of his.

Rin was still debating all of these things in his mind, with his eyes glued to the curve of Nitori's cheeks when the grey haired boy turned around.

He looked at Rin's flushed face with a confused expression, as if trying to decipher another one of Rin's strange behaviors.

He stood straight and walked towards the flustered teen and placed a hand on his cheek.

"Are you feeling okay Rin-senpai?"

"I- uh, yeah. I'm… I'm fine."

"You should really start packing senpai, or we're gonna be late."

Rin couldn't think of anything reasonable to say, so he just turned around and forced himself to forget about Nitori's booty.

Packing! You need to pack Matsuoka. This isn't a joke. They are throwing a party for you, so stop sulking and get your mind out of the gutter.

All the while, Nitori was on his corner, listening to his favorite songs to try and get himself out of the weird funk in which he fell once their plans were suddenly replaced with new ones.

He really needed to cheer himself up, he didn't want to be properly introduced to Rin's friends and being sulky. He needed to make a good impression on them, as much as it hurt to postpone their last date. All of his mental rambling came to an end when he felt eyes on his back, boring through him, sending him a shiver all over his body. When he turned around, he saw Rin, eyes wide and slightly open mouth and for a second he was worried he had done something weird. But then again, Rin had been acting strange the entire day, so he just let it slip and simply offered to help the poor boy to get ready and get to their party on time. Even if these weren't his ideal plans, Nitori would do anything to keep their night from getting ruined.

After the incident that made an absolute mess out of Rin, Aiichirou had to take everything out of Rin's bag and help him put all the right things into the backpack before looking around for the sleeping bags that the others had asked them to bring.

They exchanged a few words as well as a few hugs while they arranged everything, until it was time for them to leave.

The train ride to Haru's place was rather short, both of them too engulfed in their own little world, laughing and talking happily all the while. Despite the former gloomy atmosphere, both kids were just happy to spend time with each other, even if it wasn't on a fancy restaurant and eating expensive food. Just being around the other immediately lifted their spirits, putting them in the right mood for the night.

But as soon as they were going up the steps leading to Haruka's home, nervousness finally got to Nitori.

He was about to go inside a house full of the most important people in Rin's life. He was about to come inside the circle that had defined and had helped Rin come back from his torturing self to an actual functioning person.

For as much as he hated to admit, Aiichirou wanted, no needed to be accepted by this people. If he had the slightest chance to be an important part of Rin's life as well, he had to at least make the effort to be part of an already big and important part of him.

He knew all of them, thanks to their joined practices and little moments when they interacted with his senpai, but he had never really tried to fit with them. He had always felt like an outsider, as if he didn't belong in that part of him. The part that made him happy, that allowed him to be himself once again, the part that had saved him. But now, he had been specifically invited by all of the boys in the Iwatobi team and they had all agreed that Nitori needed to come and join them since he was also very important to Rin. They wanted to know him. HIM. Of all people in Rin's life, HE had been invited to join them. And that seemed to be too much pressure for the small boy.

Oddly enough, the feeling was very much like the time he had met his ex-girlfriend's parents. Like if he was being invited just to be tested and he needed to prove himself worthy of her affections. This was, of course, ridiculous since him and Rin weren't even a couple, at least not yet. And he was definitely getting ahead of himself again.

Rin must have catch up with Ai's strange behavior, because he suddenly stopped on his tracks and stood right in front of him as he bent a little so they were face to face.

"You don't have to do this, you know? If you don't feel comfortable we can always go back to the academy."

"No! I mean, don't worry about me. We're here to celebrate you. We should stay"

"I'm serious Ai, if anyone knows just how hard they are to deal with, it's me. If you're not ready, then you're not. Don't push yourself okay?"

"I should be fine, really. Don't worry."

"I mean it Ai. Promise me you'll tell me if you want to leave."

"I pro-"

That was as far as Nitori could go, since his lips were currently being claimed by a certain redhead that made his mind go blank.

Nitori quickly realized that this was Rin's way of reassuring him, and that was really all that he needed. As long as he had Rin by his side, everything would be alright.

"I promise" he said. Leaning in just a bit, placing a tender kiss on the corner of Rin's mouth. The latter only smirked at that and grabbed him by the waist, ready to attack, when the sound of a door opening stopped them.

They both jumped, standing as far away from each other as possible, trying their best to look casual and not at all guilty or caught.

The scene before him only made Makoto raise a confused brow before smiling and opening the door completely.

"There you are! We were starting to worry"

"Yeah yeah here I am. Now let's get this over with!"

Makoto just breathed a laugh, knowing too well that underneath Rin's façade, he was actually really happy to be celebrated by all of his friends. That's when he noticed the small boy who hadn't moved at all.

"You must be Nitori-kun right?" He extended his hand towards Nitori, a pleasant smile glued to his face.

"Yes! Nice to meet you! Well, properly. I mean… I know who you are it's just that I… I'm sorry am I being rude? I'm just kinda nervous and…"

Makoto couldn't help but smile. He had seen the boy before, always helping Rin out, which was something Makoto could relate to, what with Haru and his constant behavior. He could also notice his nervousness, and being the mother hen that he was, a very reassuring smile covered his face, trying to show him there was nothing to worry about.

"It's okay. Come in! We were all waiting for you guys"

With a small nod, Nitori made his way inside the house. It was a typical japanese house, not very big or anything but it definitely had a homey feeling to it and Nitori liked it. He felt that his and Rin's room was just the same. They had made it a home, a safe place for both of them.

He walked slowly towards the room with the most noise, his nerves on edge, as he got closer and closer to the deciding moment. The moment when he would be either accepted or rejected from the tight group of friends.

Behind him, Makoto announced the arrival of their guests and everyone turned to stare at him.

Rin was already sitting next to Haruka, discussing something foreign to him. The rest of them were looking at him with intense eyes.

Nagisa was, of course, the first one to speak.

"AHHH! Ai-chan is it? Come come! Sit with us!"

"A-Ai-chan?!"

"Oi, blonde devil! Stop being so firendly with him. You don't even know him!" Rin barked suddenly.

"Awww but he is Rin-chan's special friend! Of course we know about him, you talk about him all t-"

"Nagisa-kun! You really need to learn some manners. This is definitely not beautiful." The taller one, Ryugazaki said, saving the redhead from more embarrassment.

"It's okay. I don't really mind Rin-senpai"

"Ehhhhh? You still call him senpai? After all you've d-"

Rei's grip was tighter this time, not allowing him any room to escape.

"I swear to god Nagisa! One of these days I'll take you away from Rei's saving hands and you won't ever come back!"

Nitori giggled to himself, seeing exactly why Rin was so close to all of these people. They were all so unique. Haruka was definitely interesting, with his mysterious aura and stoic face. Nagisa was definitely a handful, but he was bubbly and fun as far as he was concerned. Rei was a very well mannered and polite person. Nitori could tell that he was also very loving, just by the way he seemed to save Nagisa from certain death. And then there was Makoto, who was an absolute saint. You didn't need to know him to know that much, he had a reputation that reached even Samezuka. The man had a heart as big as his patience and just to be able to handle all of his friends was enough proof of his superpowers. Nitori definitely respected that, it was hard enough for him to handle Rin, and he was only one strange teen. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like to take care of three more.

His laughter seemed to help relax the tension in the room. They were all still looking at him, but with fond smiles on their faces, much like the one Makoto had given him earlier.

"Come on, sit with us. Don't be afraid, Nagisa doesn't bite" he said.

"Unless you're into that!" Nagisa winked at him, showing all of his teeth.

Rin growled in the distance, looking ready to smack the blonde. Luckily, Haruka was quick to grab him and still him in place.

Nitori quickly made his way towards Rin, deciding that it was the best place for him to sit.

This decision seemed to disappoint Nagisa, who whined about how "Ai-chan" hated him now and it was all Rin-chan's fault.

So, Nitori stood once again and sat right across the blonde and his caretaker.

"So, what's it like living with Rin-chan?"

Rin sighed and lifted himself up, walking towards his roommate and plopping himself right next to him. If Nitori was going to suffer Nagisa's prying, the least he could do was give the poor kid some moral support.

It was around 10 pm when their pizza arrived. They had spent around 2 hours talking about Samezuka, Nitori's and Rin's life at the academy, as well as some stories about when they were all children. Nitori enjoyed listening to all the little stories about the times when Rin was a bubbly little kid like Nagisa.  
He could perfectly imagine that perfect smile, and those devilish eyes that held so many secrets and emotions that were now tucked under worry and defeat. It was the best part really, listening to all of the cute stories of how Rin had won himself a place in the swim team just by his charms. It warmed Nitori's heart, plus seeing Rin embarrassed about his past self was really entertaining.

They all asked him questions as well, trying their best to include him in the conversation and trying to make him feel comfortable in their strange pack.

The smaller boy really appreciated their efforts, so he complied with everything they proposed. They played charades at Rei's demand and even pranked Rei and Makoto at Nagisa's constant pleading. It wasn't too bad really, and he was really enjoying himself. He had never imagined that he could feel so at ease with people he had just met, but that was how he felt.

When they started sharing memories from their shared childhood, Rei would make sure to talk to him, since he knew how it felt when they did that. Neither of them had been there and couldn't rejoice in the fond memory, but they exchanged conversations and Nitori really liked him. He had been right when he first judged him.

Nitori volunteered to help bring the pizzas in, while the others took care of the plates and beverages. He placed them on the table where they had stayed most of the night and took a seat, waiting for the rest to come back and eat.

A hand rested on his head, and knowing exactly whom it belonged to, he turned around to face him.

"So, how you're doing so far?"

"I think it's going great!"

"Are you sure? You're not lying to me?"

"I promise!" he smiled at the redhead.

At that, Rin took his seat next to Nitori, placing an arm around his shoulders and waiting for the rest of the group to come back.

Once they were al gathered around the table, eating and chatting, their peaceful evening came to an abrupt end. To Nitori's and Rin's surprise, it wasn't Haru's insistence of adding mackerel to his Hawaiian pizza that made them pull a face, but Nagisa's proposal of playing Never have I ever.

Everyone went suddenly quiet, aware of what Nagisa's proposal meant. It was that time of the night, when things got intense and personal and nobody wanted that. They had been enjoying themselves perfectly without needing to pry into other people's lives. Unfortunately for them, they all knew that once an idea got stuck into the blonde's head, it was impossible to get rid of it.

So they ate as slowly as they could, dragging time as much as possible to avoid the certain embarrassment they would experience once their dinner came to an end.

Makoto tried to make the blonde boy to change his mind by offering video games to play, but Nagisa was set on playing it. Everyone knew that there had to be a reason why he wanted them to play that specific game so badly, and they were all scared, so very scared. Nagisa might seem like a cute boy, but that was only a mask. Under his blonde curly hair and innocent eyes, laid a monster well known by all of them, or at least most of them.

They all had secrets that they didn't want to be revealed, even to their closest friends.

Rin was nervous. He wasn't ready to come out to his friends. He had made peace with himself and the fact that not only was he in love, but he was in love with another boy. A boy who was present at their little party, if you might add. He knew that they wouldn't judge him, but that didn't mean that he was mentally prepared to confess such a big thing just yet. Plus, Nitori being told about his undying love for him in this kind of setting was just unthinkable for the secretly romantic Rin. It just couldn't happen, and he would make sure of it.

Nitori on the other hand, was trembling. He had just been added to the group and was still warming up to them; he wasn't ready to spill his guts and darkest secrets to them. He was sure they wound't reject him, but it was just too soon. He had the intention of telling Rin that he was uncomfortable about this and wanted to leave, but it seemed rude, and that wasn't Nitori's style.

The grey haired boy stood and quickly ran to the kitchen with the excuse of wanting some water to drink. He needed to breathe and calm himself. He could do this, it was only a game right? It's nothing serious. Nothing bad could really come out of this… right?

"Where do you think you're going Ai-chan?"

The teasing tone in Nagisa's voice made Nitori even more nervous. What was the blonde boy planning?

"I'm just getting some water?" it didn't sound very convincing, but there was nothing else he could do about it.

"I'm doing this to help you, you know?"

"Huh?"

"Or are you going to tell me that you don't want to know Rin-chan's secrets and kinks?" he wiggled his eyebrows at Nitori.

"His k-k-kinks?! I could never-"

"Oh come on! It's gonna be fun! Trust me! I'm on your side!"

"On my side? What side?"

"You want Rin-chan to pay attention to you right?"

"Uh… How do you… Why would you say that?"

"I've seen you two. You have a connection, it's really obvious. And I want to have some fun. So what do you say?"

"What are you planning to do Nagisa-kun?"

"Oh, don't worry, I just want everyone to have a good time." The sentence might have seemed innocent, but the glint in Nagisa's eyes told Nitori that there was so much more in there. He was not prepared for whatever he had in mind, and boy was he right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! It is still kind of a filler chapter right? But I promise, what is to come makes up for everything.   
> Anyway, thank you so much for keeping up with this :D thank you for your comments too!   
> Pray for me and my poor soul on this last 2 months of uni before graduating, i will need it.  
> See you next time~


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! WITH PROGRESS! Who would have known? So yeah, things happen and I'm a sucker for fluffy moments so yeah. I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS NOR THE SONG MENTIONED.  
> now that you know there's a song, i'll put the link in the story so you guys can listen to it while you read. I fully recommend this.

Six teens were sitting in a circle, already regretting all their life decisions, but mostly letting Nagisa do whatever he wanted.

The game was about to start and neither of them was exactly excited about it.

"Sooooooo… Should I start?" Nagisa said.

They all looked at each other, a look of terror planted on their faces. They all gulped and nodded, preparing for their torture.

"Neeever haaaave I eveeer… Oh wait! Do you guys even know how to play?"

They all knew what it meant, but they hadn't actually played before.

"Weeeell, normally, you play it with drinks and I might have a bottle of vod-"

"We're not consuming alcohol Nagisa-kun. We're not allowed to actually" Rei replied, to everyone's relief.

"Can't we just change games Nagisa?" Makoto asked.

"Ehhhh?! Noooo! We all want to play right?"

Eveybody glared at him, shaking their heads.

"Okay okay, no alcohol" the blonde pouted "but we could take something off instead of taking a shot."

"Why do I feel this is even worse?" Rin said, sighing.

"Well, we could always take my bottle out!"

"NO!" they all screamed at the same time. Nagisa wasn't pleased.

"Okay then, here we go!" Nagisa clapped his hands together, looking mischievous; a strange glint in his eyes that was making everyone sweat in their seats.

"Never have I eveeeer… oh! Had a naughty dream!

Everyone stared at him. They had all had them, but no one wanted to make the first move of removing something, feeling awfully dirty and judged.

Haruka was the first to make a move, quickly taking his pants off, displaying his black swim trunks under his clothes. Honestly, no one was surprised at this, Haru would gladly jump out of any situation just to rip his clothes off in case some body of water magically appeared around him.

Once the rest came back from their astonishment, they proceeded to take something off of their bodies. Makoto opted for his green cardigan, Rei for a sock, Rin for his many bracelets and Nagisa took the cheerful vest he wore over his long sleeved shirt. That only left Nitori, staring blankly at himself, and wondering what he should take off. Rin nudged him with his shoulder, as an encouragement. He slowly took one of his baby blue socks and placed it in front of him.

"Waah! You're all perverts! All of my friends are perverts!"

Makoto blushed three different shades of red, feeling as if he had somehow disappointed his parents from allowing naughty thoughts into his mind.

"You took something off as well you know?" Rin asked sarcastically at Nagisa, who only stuck his tongue out, looking way too innocent for what was being implied right now.

"Okay, it's Rei-chan's turn now!"

"Hmmm. I haven't prepared enough for this yet…"

"Just say whatever you want Rei-chan!"

"Okay. Huh… never have I ever…shared a kiss?"

Nagisa yelped gleefully, not believing that Rei had asked something so personal.

Quickly, he pulled on one of his socks, and threw it across the room.

With a light pink blush, Rei proceeded to remove his other sock, folding it perfectly and tucking it next to him. Makoto refused to see anyone in the eye, and carefully took his favorite bracelet from his wrist and put it over his lap.

They were all so utterly surprised by the confession that it allowed Nitori and Rin to look at each other and take off something as subtly as they could manage.

"MAKO-CHAN? YOU'VE KISSED SOMEONE?!"

"Makoto-senpai sure has his surprises"

Haru was just staring at him, a very intense glare while they had one of their telepathic conversations. Haru didn't seem pleased, and Makoto surely looked sheepish about it.

"Tell us tell us! Come on Mako-chan you have to share it with us!"

"That's not part of the rules Nagisa!" Makoto yelped, covering his handsome face between his hands.

Unfortunetly for the blonde, he was right. They weren't allowed to ask about it, and he was slightly angry at himself for not changing the rules at the beginning of the game.

"I don't like this game" mumbled Makoto, trying to hide his face from his friends, and most particularly from Haru who just kept on glaring at him at full force.

"Wahhhh! Can we play something else then? Can I choose the game?"

"Sure" Makoto said, relieved to say the least.

"Okay! Truth or dare it is!"

Everybody cringed. Was this actually worse than the last one? Oh god, what had they done?

"I'll start! I'll start!" the small blonde yelled.

All of them suddenly avoided eye contact with the blonde, seeming very interested in absolutely nothing.

"Mako-chan! Truth or dare?"

Makoto cringed and yelped at the mention of his name. It was too late now, he had no choice but to play. Plus, the faster he answered, the faster the game would end.

"Umm truth?"

"Hmmm. Have you ever been in love?"

Makoto blushed furiously once again, the pink tint going all the way to the tip of his ears.

"Yes" he admitted with a small voice.

"WHAAT? WHO WAS IT? Tell us tell us Mako-chan!"

"That was not the question" Haru deadpanned out of nowhere, earning a surprised look from the rest of the group.

"Okay, fair enough! But don't think I'll forget Mako-chan!"

"Right, right. Is it my turn now?" everyone nodded.

"Hmm. Rei, truth or dare?"

Rei arranged his glasses before turning to Makoto. "Truth"

"Okay. Why did you join the swim club?"

It was Rei's turn to blush.

"I-I had no option really. If I didn't join Nagisa-kun would have continued to ask me to join. Plus, I might have found something very… beautiful thanks to it." He did mumble the last part, but everyone let it go. They all had an idea what that meant.

"Haruka-senpai, truth or dare?"

"Dare" Haru replied, no doubt behind his anwer.

"Okay. I dare you to… dance to a silly song!"

"No"

"But Haru-chan, those are the rules"

Haru glared at Makoto.  _How dare he betray him?_

"Fine."

Rin and Nagisa chose some old spice girls song for Haru to dance, and it's easy to say that they all had a good laugh out of it. Haru had danced an entire song with his face never changing from it's usual lack of emotion, and that only made the scene even funnier.

Once he came back to his seat next to Makoto, Haru looked at Nagisa with great intensity.

"Nagisa. Why are you making us play this?"

"You have to ask truth or dare first you dork!" Rin said across from him, which earned him a good glare as well.

"Hmph. Nagisa, truth or dare?"

"Dare! I'm not falling for your tricks Haru-chan!" the blonde smiled in victory.

"I dare you to kiss someone"

Five pairs of very concerned eyes looked at Haru in absolute disbelief. Had he really said that? Haru of all people?

Nagisa seemed kind of perplexed. Was he really going to kiss someone here? And who should that be? Rin seemed like a bad idea and even approaching Ai looked life threatening. He knew who he wanted to kiss, but that didn't mean he should; his friendship with Rei was too important for him. He could not ruin it. Not this way.

Makoto definitely seemed like the safe way out of here, so he slowly scrambled to his feet, circling the room. If he was going to be put into action, he could also make them all sweat. It was part of the game really. So he walked around all of them, looking at them closely, before pulling closer to Makoto and leaving a small peck into his cheek. Makoto smiled sweetly at him, while Rin and Ai turned red. The other two though, didn't seem so pleased with this choice. Rei look kind of hurt, believing he was the closest one to the blonde, and Haru well, he just didn't like other people touching his things.

"Okay! It's my turn now!" They all cringed at that moment. How could they forget that he was the one to avoid?

"Hmmm… Rin-chan! Truth or dare?"

"I am definitely not kissing you, so truth."

Nagisa giggled a little, he had Rin exactly where he wanted him.

"Well, Rin-chan, do you have any kinks?"

"IF I HAVE ANY WHAT?!" Rin burst, glowing a beautiful shade of red.

"What does that mean?" Makoto asked sweetly. He really was too innocent for his own good.

Everybody turned to Rei , expecting him to give the correct answer.

"WAH! Why are you all looking at me?"

"Because you're like a damn walking encyclopedia you dork!" Rin answered to the bespectacled beauty.

"Oh. Well, uhh… A "kink" is just a particular thing you enjoy during ermm… sexual activity. Like strange preferences or specific kind of foreplay and the sort."

Nagisa's eyes twinkled. So Rei was not as innocent as he liked to seem. That could definitely be a kink on its own.

"Are you asking me if i like weird shit, you strange little -"

"Rin please"

Rin fell silent. Ai had managed to shut him up immediately after only the mention of his name. It was safe to say that the entire iwatobi team was absolutely amazed.

"I haven't even thought about it before"

"Ehhhh? That's not an answer Rin-rin!"

A small laughter interrupted the conversation they were all concentrated on. They looked around, searching for the source of the laughter, only to find Ai covering his face with his little hands and shaking slightly.

"What's with you?" asked a very concerned Rin.

Nitori lifted his head, only to lock eyes with the redhead and starting in another fit of giggles.

"What!?"

"Rin-rin? That's your real nickname isn't it?"

Rin's face turned white, his own incredulity very clear on his face, until he regained a little bit of color and turning into a completely realistic interpretation of a tomato.

"You're laughing at me?" Rin really couldn't believe this. He never even thought twice about his embarrassing nickname from when he was a kid, he was just so used to it by now. This was awful. Nitori will surely think it's stupid and laugh at him til the end of time now. He was supposed to keep a cool image in front of him, but now everything was over.

Nitori finally stopped giggling, as well as the rest of the teens, and looked at Rin with a very sincere look in his eyes.

"I think it's really cute"

"Yeah! It is really cute, just like our Rin-rin has always been, right Rin-chan?" Nagisa asked, batting his eyelashes.

"I'm not cute! Now stop it!"

"Oh but you really are!" Makoto answered. He had always thought Rin's heart was in the right place, and he was definitely a hopeless romantic, it was just his exterior that didn't match with the rest.

"You're betraying me too Makoto?!"

Makoto just smiled, he wasn't going to deny it.

"UGH! Let's just end this stupid game for once and for all!"

"Okay! but you need to answer to your question Rinrin!"

Damn! he had forgotten about it!

"Uhh… I don't know…. blindfold maybe? or tying up?…. maybe food…."

Rin was suddenly entranced, pictures of Nitori and what he could possibly do with all of those things, having him under him maybe eating some chocolate and having him whimpering and..

"Rin?"

Rin was abruptly brought back to earth, earning a knowing look from all of his friends and a very questioning one from Ai. Yup, this needed to end, and quickly.

What he didn't know was how Nitori was now feeling hot everywhere, his body turning into a mess as his mind took in everything Rin had said. And let me tell you, picturing a hot night between the sheets with Rin and possibly some whipped cream (definitely light cause Rin is a freak like that with his food) was very very interesting, just maybe not the kind of thing you should picture when you're sitting between all of his closest friends.

Rin cleared his throat, bringing all possible scenarios made from his comment to an end, as fantasies slowly went to the back of the teen's minds. They all came back to the game and waited expectantly.

"Nagisa, truth or dare you little shit?"

"Rin! language!" Makoto always did try his best, but that didn't mean it accomplished anything with Rin's bad habits, or anyone's really.

"Hmm… truth!"

"Okay. Who did you really wanted to kiss?"

The atmosphere changed, everyone knowing what Rin had meant. Maybe Nagisa wasn't as subtle as he thought he was.

"Huh? Mako-chan obviously!"

"You do know you're not allowed to lie during this game right? You made me say very embarrassing things, now you better take it seriously or we just end this here and now."

Nagisa was a little taken aback, seeing Rin so frustrated and angry at something so meaningless, but he had in deed confessed something embarrassing.

He kept quiet for a bit, only to end standing up and walking away.

No one really thought Rin's words were that harsh, nor that the blonde could take them so seriously, but as he excited the room, they all shared the same concern.

Nagisa ran to the bathroom, quickly closing the door behind him. He positioned himself in front of the mirror, bracing himself on the zinc as he psyched himself up to what he was about to do. With a few quick words, he slapped his hands gently over his face, ready to made amends.

When he re-entered the living room, everyone went quiet. Rin was about to try and apologize, and Nagisa knew it, but Rin didn't really do anything wrong, so he just waved his hands to stop him before he could make any words.

He reached his seat, and finally glancing at his best friend, he quickly leaned over him and placed the same gentle kiss on the boy's cheek.

Rei's cheeks flushed pink instantly as his heartbeat started to race. His genuine and kind smile took over his face and he just stared at his best friend, proud of him and having come clean to Rin's demand.

Taking advantage of this turn of events, Makoto was quick to change activities and proposed to start a movie marathon, as long as there wasn't any scary ones in there.

They all agreed, and moved over to the couch in front of the tv. The only problem was that it was too small for 6 grown (or at least 4 big) teenagers, so Rin took the decision to sit on the floor and Ai moved with him. Haru went upstairs to get them some blankets as they were going to stay on the floor for a while, and didn't want them to catch a cold.

The both of them snuggled into their blankets, covering their whole bodies and tucking in closely, as they waited for Makoto to put the movie on. They had decided on a musical, seeing almost every option was a scary movie and nobody wanted to traumatize Makoto besides Nagisa. So they took the few remaining ones, and picked a musical about.. a mule? a red mule? Nobody knew for sure, since the title was in french and only Rei knew it.

So they turned the lights off, got themselves comfortable and started watching the movie.

Makoto and Haru were sitting awfully close, sharing a bowl of pop corn for just the two of them. Rei was sitting on the other side of the couch, as far away from his senpais, while a very excited Nagisa had settled on his lap, munching away their share of treats. But to be fair, he was giving Rei some, or more like, feeding him if you would like. And finally, snuggled up on the floor, were the two roommates, sitting by the side of the couch, and just out of view from the rest of the teens.

This last part might have been because of Rin. Maybe. He had put them close enough to the others to not seem strange, but just out of their sight for his own good.

He put a third blanket over their own covered bodies, pulling his arm out and searching for Ai's hand.

The younger one couldn't believe what was happening, specially at such a place. It felt just like a game, sneaking light touches right under their friend noses. The feeling of getting caught was too exhilarating for Nitori, almost too much, but he would never EVER reject Rin's hand.

So in that state of excitement and nervousness, Rin and Nitori managed to keep some of the romance they had expected for the day, as the end of week trial closed on them.

It was half-way through the movie, and the main characters were singing at the top of an elephant in the middle of Paris, when Rin noticed Ai had nodded off and was silently mumbling in his sleep.

Rin definitely DIDN'T noticed Nitori sleeping when he discreetly blew his nose and rubbed the tears away from his eyes, landing them on the peaceful picture of a very cute Ai.

Rin took advantage of this, pulling the smaller boy closer to him, placing him between his legs and letting his head rest against his chest. He might have squeezed him a bit during the most touching scenes, but nobody needed to know that. Not even Ai. It would be one of his guilty pleasures, one of the many he had come to adopt since the arrival of Ai to his life.

Towards the end of the movie, Makoto was on tears, Rei was sobbing without shame, Haru was sound asleep, Nagisa was snoring loudly and Rin was sniffling as manly as he could manage.

The only ones that were still awake decided to take their sleeping beauties into their beds and calling it a night. Makoto and Rei gave Rin their goodnight and shuffled into their beds and sleeping bags. Rin hadn't moved from his spot by the couch, too comfortable with his current situation. But it wasn't fair to Ai, so he slowly got up, taking Ai in his arms, and tucked him into his sleeping bag. Rin laid on his own, right next to Nitori, his hands behind his head while he stared at the darkened ceiling in Haru's house. He had planned so many things for the end of this week, and now that he had the time to really think about all of it, he was scared.

They had both confessed now, but what if Nitori still wasn't sure about this? It's not as if things would change a lot, but it would be official. And what if Nitori wasn't ready to face all the consequences of being openly gay? Was  _he_  ready? Was all the possible pain that could come their way worth it?

Rin was feeling a little too overwhelmed and frustrated by now, so he decided to go out to Haru's garden and taking a little fresh air.

Once he was outside, he took a seat right at the edge, legs hanging down as he watched the stars above his head. This was not the moment to second guess everything he had accomplished so far. He would never have an answer if he didn't ask.

The air seemed to help him a bit, feeling a little more relaxed when he heard the sound of feet shuffling and the door sliding open.

Rin didn't turn around, figuring it would either be Haru or Makoto. They had sensed there was something up with him for a while now, but he just wasn't ready to tell them just yet. He needed to figure all this out with Ai before opening his mouth to the rest of the world.

His thoughts were interrupted when a slim body placed itself on his lap, and cuddled into his chest, draping his own arms over it. Rin was shocked at first but when he realized who it was, he was just glad. He was so happy that Nitori had finally grown comfortable enough around him to actually do something like that. So he simply pulled the smaller boy closer to him, threading his fingers through his silver hair as he hummed one of his favorite songs. It definitely seemed convenient, if you thought about it. But for now, nothing had been decided, so he could have this right now. This thing right now, between his arms and over his heart was all that he needed.  
 _I can do this._

That night Ai slept wonderfully, listening to the vibrations of Rin's voice in his chest, as he hummed and let slip some english lyrics he didn't knew. But even if he didn't understand any of the things he was saying, they seemed to touch something within him. Even if they didn't really had the date they had planned, they managed to have their own secret date on some sort of way. And being this close to Rin's heart was probably far better than anything any fancy restaurant could have ever offered him.

 

 

When Nitori woke up, he was alone in his sleeping bag, and no one was really around. He couldn't see anyone, but he could hear someone from another room, and some noises coming from the kitchen. Hoping he wasn't trespassing any boundaries, he stepped into the kitchen where most of the mumbling and clinking came.

He rubbed his eyes, as he entered the room, only to find himself with Makoto making coffee as Rei flipped some pancakes. It wasn't really surprising, since Haru wasn't exactly welcoming or anything and these two were practically parents.

"Good morning Nitori-kun! Would you like some pancakes?"

"The others haven't woken up yet, but Rin went for a run, so you might as well have something to eat." The smile on Makoto's face was enough to convince anyone that whatever he said was the right thing to do, so Nitori grabbed the pancakes that were pushed to him and sat at the table. Feeling a little babied and useless, he went back to the kitchen and helped the other two boys to get everything they needed to eat their breakfast.

"Oh yeah, Aiichirou-kun! Rin said to check your phone."

"Why? Is he not coming back?"

"I think so, but that was all he said"

"Oh, okay. Thank you!"

Nitori went to fish his phone, and as soon as it was in his hands, the little fish dangling from it, he saw that he had a message from Rin waiting to be read.

 

**From** : Rin-senpai

I have plans for today, so call me when you wake up

 

Nitori's stomach fell. Had Rin really left him here? With all of his friends that he barely knew? He could feel the sweat stating to form and his anxiety rising.

He quickly pushed the button indicating Rin's number and listened to the tone at the end of the line.

"Hey! It was about time."

"You left me here"

"What?"

"I can't believe it"

"Ai? What's happening? What's wrong? Did Nagisa do something to you? I swear that midget will-"

"Why did you leave?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you leave me here?"

"Because i had things to take care of. Ai you're scaring me."

"Are you not coming back?"

"What?"

"Are you coming back?"

"Of course i'm coming back! What the fuck is happening?"

"I… I thought you had left. Without me."

"What? I would never do that. In fact I'm on my way. Get ready."

"Are we going back already?"

"Hmm… No not really. Listen, don't ask, just get ready. Please?"

"Okay"

"I'll be right there okay?"

"Okay"

"See you in a bit"

Nitori went back to the living room, and took a seat. He tried his best to look unfazed as if nothing had happened, as if he didn't just had a panic attack. So he ate his pancakes and got dressed so could be ready by the time Rin came back.

Which was around 15 minutes later.

"Hey! Are you guys up?"

"In here Rinrin!"

"Ugh. You guys need to stop with that!"

Nitori giggled again, too unfamiliar with the cute name. This only made Rin blush, as expected, but did his best to let it slip.

"Okay guys, I'll be needing Ai for a bit. We'll be back later. Don't worry about us!"

"Wait Rin! Are you not going to have lunch with us?"

"Hmm.. save us some. We might be a little late" Rin grinned at Makoto, and Makoto couldn't resist it. He couldn't resist that glimpse of the past Rin he used to know, so he wouldn't pry, but he sure was curious now.

"Well then, have fun. We'll see you later"

They both gave their goodbyes and went out of the house.

That part of Iwatobi was beautiful. Nitori wasn't really used to it, with it's view to the ocean and the proximity of the sea.

He was following Rin contently, but he didn't actually know where they were going.

"Where are you taking me?"

Rin smiled, broad and genuine, and it might have made Ai's heart to skip a beat or two.

"It's a surprise" he said, a smirk planted on his handsome face.

They walked along the shore, getting closer and closer to the pier. Nitori was sure he had been around here before, but he couldn't remember when. He settled on enjoying the view of the ocean as they walked, taking in everything he could.

When Rin finally stopped, they were in front of an old shed probably used to store fishing boats and other kinds of things needed around this area. He was, to say the least, very confused.

"This is it shorty. We're here."

"This?"

Nitori was just not following what was happening.

"Yup. This is it. Come on, let's go inside."

Rn unlocked the door and the two boys stepped inside. The place was dark aside from the light making its way through the cracks between the wood that composed the small shack. You could see the small flecks of dust in the invading rays of light, giving it an air of fantasy to the foreign space that they had stepped into.

Nitori didn't understand what was happening. What were they doing there? Was this some kind of joke? Were they running some kind of errands?

He didn't have the time to keep on guessing, as Rin finally turned towards him and started talking.

"Remember how I told you that my father was a fisherman?"

"Uh, yeah. You told me a while ago."

"Well, this is where he used to put his boat away and some of his other things back then. Even after he passed away, this space still belongs to my family, just, no one really came back here after the accident."

"Oh." Nitori was surprised. Very surprised and kind of touched. Rin, after experiencing such a hard moment in his life, had finally returned to this place, and had wanted to share that moment with him. It really was a big deal, even if Rin didn't seem to think like that.

Rin pushed the blinds and opened the big window at the back of the shed. Light immediately hit their eyes, and the breeze coming from the sea was a delightful touch against their skins.

Once the place was completely immersed in light, Nitori noticed the bags that Rin was bringing in and placing on the corner.

"What is that?"

"What, this? Well, if I'm correct, I remember making a bet with you some time ago"

"A bet?"

"Yup. I told you that I would paint one of the paintings we saw back at the museum without any problem. And then you laughed at me for half an hour, so now I'm here to prove you wrong"

Rin grinned dangerously at Ai as he uncovered can after can of paint and a small pile of brushes in all different sizes and shapes.

Nitori was still in awe. He just stared at Rin with his mouth slightly agape and a glint in his eyes.

"What?"

"We're here.. to paint?"

Ai looked around, not seeing any canvases or anything where they could put the paint.

"We're here to paint. Now take a brush and go wild" Rin motioned to the big white walls, their paint chipped from the years past.

"We"re painting on the walls?! Are you crazy?"

Rin pouted. He had that "I'm trying my best and you're still not happy" face.

"Well yeah. Nobody uses this. My mom can't even step inside and Gou would never come inside either. So it's mine and I decide what I want to do with it. And all I want is for us to paint all over this sad walls and have a great fucking time."

His scowl was intense, his pout never leaving, but all Aiichirou could think of was how unbelievably cute Rin was. He had taken the time and the effort to look for the paint and the brushes and everything they needed just so Nitori could paint alongside him.

Whoever thought that Rin Matsuoka was a big scary shark, had no clue what a closet romantic he really was.

So Nitori smiled and got closer to Rin, close enough to whisper something to his ear.

_"You're going down Matsuoka_ " he said, so close to his ear that he could feel the breath ghosting over his very sensitive skin. He then proceeded to turn around, as if nothing had happened.

Rin was in shock. His heart beat at a thousand miles an hour and his legs felt like jelly.  _How could such a cute and innocent child be that much of a tease?_

Shaking his head as well as the inappropriate thoughts in his mind, Rin smirked at the younger boy.

"Bring it short stuff"

Nitori took the task of opening all the cans of paint, while Rin went through his bag, pulling 2 of his old t-shirts and tossing one to Ai. He didn't want them to ruin their clothes as they had fun with the bright colors on the floor. Rin took off his shirt and put the t-shirt on easily, turning to face a shy looking Ai.

Rin had to remind his fragile heart to take it easy, and his mind to keep calm. But seeing a shy looking Ain in one if Rin's t-shirts was definitely too much. It was too big on him, the sleeves going all the way to his elbows and his shorts basically disappearing under the hem of the t-shirt that hung too low.

"You look good in that" was all that Rin was able to get out as he stared intently at the younger boy.

Nitori giggled sweetly and a title nervous, but he took the compliment and went back to the paint.

Rin decided it was best to distract himself and concentrate on the painting, but before he got any further, he took out his phone and put on some music.

They both placed themselves along the wall, each taking a half of the space and started their masterpieces.

Half an hour later, Rin was frustrated. He was grunting and huffing as he put more and more paint on the wall.

Nitori glanced at him with a knowing look. Neo-impressionism wasn't exactly easy, even worse on someone who didn't really have any practice and or patience for that matter.

He made his way to Rin's end, placing a hand on his shoulder, and taking in the bright colors splashed all over the white wall.

"So, how is it going?"

Rin mumbled under his breath, his annoyance very clear in his tone.

"Sorry, what was that?" he half-smiled while feigning innocence.

"I said this shit is harder than I thought" Rin refused to look at Nitori, deciding to just stare at the ground.

"Does that mean that I win then?"

"…"

"Rin?"

"Ugh. Yeah yeah it means you win. Are you happy now?"

Ai draped himself over Rin's back, bringing his slim arms around his chest and his chin to the crook of Rin's neck.

"Don't be such a sore loser"

"Am not!"

Nitori laughed openly this time. Rin acting like a child was definitely among his favorite things. He could be such a baby sometimes, but that only meant that he was close enough to Ai to show that side of him.

Nitori placed a kiss on the top of Rin's head before unlatching himself and walking towards the wall.

It was definitely a mess, but he could see the effort behind it. It wasn't really that bad for someone who couldn't even draw a shark.

"It's not that bad you know?"

"Don't pity me. I know it's crap."

"I mean it. I've seen your sharks. This isn't half as bad."

"HEY! Watch what you say there. My sharks are awesome and menacing."

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say senpai."

"Well, let's look at yours then!"

Rin paced to Ai's side of the wall, and was instantly slapped with how good it was.

In front of him laid an oceanic view in many different tones of blue. Bubbles adorned the scene here and there, mingling with the movement of the water. But what took Rin's breath wawy was the gigantic shark in the middle. It was realistic and mean looking, with his red and intense eyes.

Suddenly he felt very ashamed of his own painting. It was nothing compared to this.

"Wow. You're like really good at this."

Nitori smiled sheepishly, taking the compliment with a soft thank you. Rin thinking he was good at this meant a lot to him.

"Why a shark?"

"Why not?"

"That's not an answer"

"I know"

Rin tugged Nitori closer and squeezed him between his arms. He brought one of his hands out and started ruffling his hair.

"Okay, okay I'll tell you!" Ai laughed as he gave up on Rin's antics.

"It's because it reminds me of you. Big and strong, but still graceful in the water."

Rin didn't know what to respond. This was it. This was the moment to ask what he'd been dying to ask. This was the moment he had been preparing for.

The song on his phone changed, bringing a softer tune into their ears.

Nitori recognized it immediately and it brought butterflies to his stomach.

[ **"That's the song."** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVbsh6LHF2U)

Nitori's words interrupted Rin's train of thought.

"What song?"

"You know, the song."

"What song?"

"The song you were humming yesterday"

Oh.  _OH_.

"Yeah. That's the one." Remembering that was kind of embarrassing now.

"Is it a special song?"

_Was it?_  Maybe it was. It seemed to reflect his situation with Nitori, and maybe that's why it had been stuck in his head for a while now.

Now that he thought about it, it made so much sense. It fitted perfectly. It was like faith. This was the moment.

"Sink or swim, hold your breath and just dive right in.

The music was definitely talking to Rin in every way possible.

Let it out

Don't let doubt ever have its day.

Down and out

(don't) throw the towel

We can win this race."

_You can do this Matsuoka._

"Yeah, I guess it is"

Rin took a deep breath and continued talking before he could back out.

"I know you don't understand it, but the things that are said remind me of you"

It was now Nitori's turn to blush. He didn't know what to say, because he couldn't understand a word. But the melody was so soft and beautiful, it could only mean good right?

"It reminds me of you, because you've been such a pain in the ass Ai. It's been a freaking roller-coaster! It was good and then it was bad and I cried and you cried and I hated myself for that but I couldn't stop. I can't stop really. No matter what I do or how hard I try, I can't get rid of these..feelings. Feelings that scare me so much because I've never experienced anything like it before. And I don't know what to do, or what to say. I just know that I want you.

I know that our last date was ruined, but I couldn't think of a better way to end the week than this. It was improvised this morning and I made an absolute ass out of myself, but I still had fun. Because that't the thing about you. You make me feel alive and like having fun again.

So, I guess that what I'm saying is… is… umm… what i'm trying to say is that I…."

"I want that too"

Nitori smiled at Rin. He knew exactly what he wanted to say, and he was so relieved to hear it. He really wanted this too and he wasn't going to lose any more time.

"Huh? I MEAN… ARE YOU SURE? I DON'T WANT YOU TO FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO-"

"Rin, you're shouting"

"Oh. Right. Sorry. But, yeah… are you sure, I mean-"

It was about time for Rin to shut up, so without any hesitation Ai threw himself over the redhead, soft lips colliding and successfully managing to shut Rin's words.

He hadn't expected something like this out of Nitori, but he wasn't going to complain. Pushing all of his nerves and anxieties aside, Rin lifted Ai and placed him over his hips, Nitori's legs instantly closing over him to secure himself.

The kiss that started rather unexpectedly but sweetly, was turning more and more intense, as both of the teens enjoyed the contact and the reassurance of their shared feelings.

Rin tightened his grip around Nitori's waist with one hand, the other coming to his face, gently cupping it just to finally rest at the back of his neck.

Nitori was melting in Rin's arms, too much excitement and too many things happening that his mind just couldn't keep track anymore. He decided to leave the thinking for later, when there weren't a pair of lips slowly taking his breath away with each touch.

For as much as they would have liked to continue, air was necessary, and maybe this wasn't the place to be this.. affectionate.

Unwillingly, Rin let go of Ai, the last one landing on his feet perfectly. He got close to Rin again, putting his hands behind Rin's neck and pulling him forward.

He rested his forehead against Rin's, feeling the air thick and hot between them, tension and want making it hard for them to keep their eyes off each other's mouths.

But under the excitement of the contact laid something different, something so powerful, so rooted in them that it was impossible for them to break apart.  
The love that they had grown had finally reached the other, and now even being an inch away seemed like absolute torture.

Rin's gaze was intense but loving and Ai's eyes sparkled with a joy he had never seen before. They stayed like that for a while, arms around each other, eyes glued to one another while still listening to the soft melody that continued to fill the air in the shed.

"So… you're my boyfriend now…"

"I guess I am" Ai answered, smile stretched across his face.

"I don't think you know what that means"

"Oh, I think I do. I don't think YOU know what that means.."

"It means that you're mine now. And that I can do this anytime I want" Rin leaned down and placed a small kiss to Ai's lips.

It still managed to take Ai's breath.

"Well, I like how you think"

They shared a few more kisses under the bright light coming from the window, the sea breeze tingling over their faces.

"I still think there's something missing though…"

Nitori looked confused.

Rin detached himself from Nitori, but not without leaving a final kiss over the little mark under his eye.

He then proceeded to take a brush, and take it to Ai's side of the wall. In a matter of minutes, he had carefully painted a small grey fish with black lines just beside the big shark that took most of the wall.

Nitori smiled fondly. Rin was such a romantic, it was almost ridiculous if it wasn't so endearing.

"Thank you for this"

"It was my pleasure, really."

Ai laughed softly, and pulled Rin's hand.

"Come on, I think it's time to go home."

Rin nodded and closed the can of paint and tossed the brush aside. He could come and take care of it later. Right now, he had better things in mind.

Just before leaving and closing the shed, Rin took his phone and quickly jogged back to the shark.

With a smile on his face, he took a picture of the painting they had made, a warm and fuzzy feeling crawling over him.

He then clicked a few buttons and ran towards the exit, quickly locking the door before taking Ai's hands in his as they made their way back to Haru's.

"What were you doing?"

"Oh nothing, just changing my background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thaank you for reading! I'M SORRY for all of the awful typos everywhere but i'm not strong enough right now to actually take care of it. so yeah sorry.  
> also HUGE THANKS FOR READING. like really. why are you here. but yeah, thank you for the comments too, they make me squeal and roll on my bed like a five year old. so yeah.. that's about it.   
> THANK YOU AGAIN and see you next time ~


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin has never been a secure person...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So hey, i haven't forgotten about this, just life has happened.  
> Anyway, I won't hold you anymore, here it is. I hope you enjoy it. An excuse my poor attempts at .. well you'll see.  
> Thank you for reading.

Nitori was mad. He was mad right? He had been at least, but everything was kind of blurry now that Rin was kneeling in front of him, desperately kissing every inch of exposed skin on his neck.

He didn't really knew how it all started, nor why Rin's eyes were slightly damp around the edges and on his lashes, since all he could think of were the lips on his skin that were making him weak.

But how all of this even happened?

Three weeks had passed since that day by the port where Rin finally asked the question that had been consuming him for so long, and since then Nitori had learned two things:

1\. He had never been this happy in his entire life. (Nor Rin for this matter.)

2\. Rin was the clingiest person to ever exist.

Now, let's not get it wrong, Nitori was definitely not complaining about this. He had longed for the redheaded boy for so long, that even considering the fact that Rin craved his touch made him tingly all over. It was more like he wasn't exactly expecting it.

He had known that Rin was a complicated person and he had accepted him that way; so when Rin started taking his hands every time he could, or snuggling into him while they were doing homework, or just literally pulling him off his desk to place him between his legs while he read was, to say the least, a big surprise.

Niori enjoyed all of this way too much, which was starting to be a problem.

Nitori was wanting more and more each time, but he knew Rin had this weird thing about personal space and he didn't want to push any kind of boundary that they hadn't talked about yet.

He knew he wanted more contact with his boyfriend, but he also knew that with contact came intimacy, and intimacy meant feelings and Rin was not good at that. He was set to wait until Rin started feeling comfortable enough to get a little more… acquainted with each other.

He was going to wait until they were both ready to face this new stage in their relationship. Or something like that.

Rin on the other hand, was scared. Just as Nitori had figured, he was scared of how their relationship was moving forward. Although, not exactly as Nitori thought.

Rin was insecure. He had struggled with his harsh mouth since the moment he stepped into Australian territory.

The last time he had been sincere and exposed his feelings, everything had gone to hell, hence his inability to express himself correctly.

He didn't want this impediment to be a problem in his new and wonderful relationship with a certain fair haired boy that brought butterflies to his stomach.

So, knowing full well how things came out of his mouth, he had opted to show him his love instead of confessing it every time he could.

Rin would go out of his way, taking Ai's hand in his, sliding slim and long fingers along Nitori's back while they read over his bed, or kissing him passionately every night before going to sleep.

The thing was, that once they were out of their dorm, all sort of contact was prohibited. It's not like they were hiding their relationship from the others, they were just not ready to expose themselves to the school and their opinions on a matter that was so personal and foreign to others.

They wanted to enjoy their relationship to the fullest, before they had to go head on and defend it from those who had a problem with it, hence the secret affair.

Now here was the tricky part: Rin couldn't say what he wanted to say to Ai, and now he couldn't convey it through his touch… so… what to do?

Not only that, but Nitori, much unlike Rin, had friends everywhere, and no matter where he went, he was constantly showered with love and affection and Rin was starting to worry.

What if his love wasn't enough? What if his efforts were lost in the constant contact that Nitori received on his everyday life? Rin wasn't ready to lose the most precious thing in his life, but he didn't know how to approach it either.

So, being the angsty teen that he was, he had settled on frowning constantly and barking at everything that got even close to a 2 meter radius from where Nitori stood.

This constant state of awareness and over-reaction had been happening for 3 weeks now, and it was starting to get old. Rin was constantly mad, barking at everything that casted a shadow and people were scared.

Nothing ever seemed to calm him down, and if anyone had the misfortune to step into his way, they were sure to be gone from this earth in the hands of an enraged shark.

The only solution anyone had seen was calling for Nitori. When Nitori saw Rin on the verge of ripping someone else's head off for what he was sure was absolutely nothing, he would come, place a gentle hand over his arm and smile sweetly at Rin. This would usually put the redhead in some kind of trance and make him leave with a dazed look on his face.

Since then, Nitori was known around as "the shark whisperer", which usually only made him laugh; but as the weeks kept on going and Rin's behavior never seemed to change, he started getting tired.

Nitori was definitely not aware of the battle inside Rin's head, and he only assumed it was Rin being his old self. This hurt him a lot, feeling as he was not enough or close enough to the redhead for him to come clean about what was wrong.  
His worry was slowly turning into annoyance, everyday having to face problems he didn't even understand. He was called all the time by scared students, in desperate need of his magic.

It didn't help that Rin still couldn't come up with a way to talk about this to Nitori, and was sinking more and more into a bottomless pit of insecurity and self hatred.

Every night, when Nitori stood up from Rin's bunk to go back to his own, Rin would place a kiss on his lips, hoping that by some kind of miracle Ai would understand his pain and would just stay with him under the covers and make it all alright.

But, alas, that never happened, which meant that Nitori would just get up and get under his covers before quickly falling asleep. In the meantime, Rin would stare at the bunk above him, wondering why Nitori never seemed to initiate any kind of contact, and how everyday he looked more and more tired. He was probably getting tired of Rin, which to be honest, wouldn't surprise him in the least. Who would even want to be with him voluntarily anyway? Nitori was crazy to have even lasted this long with him.

Rin would spend his nights sighing, preparing himself for the next day, waiting for the day when Nitori would tell him things weren't working and they should probably just stay friends.

With a sinking feeling in his chest, Rin would manage to sleep maybe 3 or 4 hours, before getting up and facing another horrible day with a foul mood that only made things worse.

When the fourth week rolled in, Rin was tired. Tired of feeling insecure, on feeling unwanted and casted aside. But the redhead was not a quitter, and he had managed to come up with a fairly easy solution.

If he spent all of Nitori's free time with him, then no one would come near him and his efforts would be noticed. That sounded totally rational and not completely crazy right? Right?

Anyway, the first step was, spending lunch time with Nitori.

Being the repressed but hopeless romantic that he was, Rin had planned to go to Ai's class, go together to buy some food and go outside under the beautiful trees that rounded the academy, and being all lovey-dovey away from everyone's eyes.

His plan seemed absolutely flawless, that is until the bell announcing lunch time made its way to his ears, and Rin nearly stumbled into the hallway as he ran outside.

That's when it hit him. He didn't knew which class Nitori was in. Literally. He didn't knew his classroom. How was that even possible?

Rin leaned over the wall outside his classroom and made a quick scan of everything he knew about his boyfriend.

He knew the smell of his shampoo, the crinkle of his nose when he laughed, the softness of his skin and he definitely knew the sweet taste of his lips; but he didn't knew about his life out of his own existence with him.

He was starting to understand why Haru kept calling him a self centered jerk. How could he not know anything about the boy he was supposedly madly in love with?!

Rin growled and thought of a quick solution. Nitori should probably be at the cafeteria right? Since he didn't go back to the dorms like he did, or they would have ended up eating together there.

Without losing any more time, Rin turned on his heels and made his way towards the cafeteria.

Opening the doors of the cafeteria, Rin was greeted with a cacophony of plates being set on tables, chairs being pulled out and mindless chatter everywhere. His ears were sharp though, and he managed to catch the sweet voice of his favorite person a few feet away.

"SEEIII! Don't leave me behind!"

_Sei? Who the hell was Sei?_

"Oh sorry Ai-chan, didn't see you there!"

_Ai-chan?_

Rin looked through the crowd, looking for whoever was so comfortable calling nicknames to his boyfriend, already feeling his blood boiling in his veins.

What Rin caught sight of, was something he was definitely not expecting.

There, on the table at the far end, were Ai along with some of his teammates and Mikoshiba, casually hanging his arm around Ai's shoulders, laughing loudly just centimeters away from Nitori's face.

Nitori seemed to be having fun, letting his laughter fill the place. He then proceeded to lift himself from his seat and was now clinging from Mikoshiba's shoulders, yelling orders like the captain did during practice. The whole table started laughing along, just having a wonderful time, all bonding and shit while he was there, far away and just watching them get along.

Since when were the captain and Ai so close? He remembers his jealousy outburst some time ago, and how Mikoshiba had helped Nitori with his work, but were they actually  _friends_?

How could Ai cling that way with Mikoshiba when he barely even hugged Rin back when he tried to cuddle with him?

 _This is bullshit_ \- Rin mumbled under his breath.

He walked through the numerous tables and never-ending chairs until he was right next to their table, just glaring daggers at everyone.

"Oh, Nitori-kun! I think your shift is up!" One of his teammates had said to Nitori, effectively getting his attention and making him look his way.

"Oh! Rin! What are you doing here?"

Nitori didn't even bother to get away from Mikoshiba, now leaning against his back while he talked to Rin.

"I needed to talk to you or something". He might have grumbled that. Maybe. Maybe he was in a bad mood. Who knows.

"Oh, okay." He walked up to him. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah yeah. everything's fine"

"Did you need something?"

"What, do I need a reason to see my boyfriend now?" he said this part a little lower, effectively escaping any curious ears.

"I didn't say that." Nitori frowned.

_Oh oh, this isn't going according to plan._

"Just… could you come with me? Please?"

Nitori looked him up and down before nodding and walking past him.

"Alright then"

Rin steered them towards the exit, desperately wanting to get some fresh air to clear his mind and cool his head. What he didn't anticipate though, were the freshmen.

"Oi! Nitori-kun!"

Two young men came running towards them, latching themselves over Ai and snickering with him.

"Yo, we need to get started on that assignment! Hiro-sensei is getting on my nerves now, so we better get to it."

"Yeah, he never stops complaining about how irresponsible we are! Thank god he put you in our group! Now we'll surely get a good grade!"

They both high fived each other and looked at Nitori who was silently judging them.

"I guess you are right, for a change"

He then started laughing and looked at Rin.

"Sorry senpai. Looks like I have to go. But we'll talk about it later okay?"

"Yeah Matsuoka, give us some space would ya?"

Rin saw red. Who were these little rats taking away his time with Ai?

"How about-" he took the kid's arm off of Ai "-you get your asses-" griped Nitori's arm firmly "-to the library-" pressed him to his chest "-and get some actual work done?"

"Rin, what are you doing?"

"I think we better go Hikari" one of them mumbled.

The look on Rin's face was terrifying and sent the two freshmen running for their lives.

"What was that about?" Nitori was frowning.  _Oh no. No. Wait this is not how it's supposed to go._

"I need to talk to you"

"Yes, I understand. But do you really need to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Scare people! Now everyone's scared to come close to me!"

"Well, they should keep their hands to themselves!"

"This is stupid Rin. I am not arguing with you. I'm not doing this."

"Doing what?"

"I'm not playing your little game Rin! I'm not your property! I have a life!"

_That one hurt._

Nitori seemed to catch up to what he said and his face fell.

"That's not what I meant-"

"I get it. Go on then, you don't want to lose any more time with me"

Rin pushed him a little, turning away and making his way back to the dorm. He still had lessons left, but who cared. He was among the best, he could skip one class.

"Where are you going?"

"Why do you care?"

"You know what? Fine. I don't."

Nitori turned around and went back to the cafeteria, and back to his life and his friends.

Rin got to their bedroom and threw himself over his bed. He was going to sulk as much as he wanted. He had started the day with every intention to pull Nitori back and, surprisingly, he had managed to do the exact opposite.

He gritted his teeth and glared at the bunk above him. How did he managed to ruin everything? He was sure one of Nagisa's attempts at magic had cast a curse on him somehow, there was no other explanation.

He put on some music and rolled on his bed and not before long, he was sleeping, drifting away from his foul mood.

When he woke up, he was late.

Practice had started 18 minutes ago and he needed to get there as fast as he could. Putting his shoes and grabbing his things, he ran as fast as possible to the pool, already expecting some kind of lecture from Mikoshiba.

When he entered though, he was greeted with the splashing sound of the water and a very bored looking Nitori sitting on a bench.

"Matsuoka! You're late!"

"I know. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to your partner who has been sighing and looking dead for a while now." The captain pointed in the direction where Nitori was still looking at the pool with a bored look on his eyes, head propped on his hand.

Rin walked to Nitori very carefully, trying to avoid another possible argument.

Nitori looked at him and sighed.

"It was about time."

He got up and dragged himself over one of the starting blocks.

"I'll take your time. Go ahead."

He looked so out of it. So completely bored and over Rin's bullshit that he didn't even knew how to feel. He just stayed there, staring at the boy who was supposed to be his loving boyfriend, but somehow had lost the will to even look at him.

After a few moments, Nitori glanced at Rin.

"Well, are you getting in or not?"

"What is wrong with you?" Rin wanted to convey worry, but it didn't came out that way.

"What is wrong with me? With me? Really? Am I the one with the problem here Rin?"

"That's not what I-"

"That's NEVER what you mean! It's always someone else who doesn't understand, but never you right? You're never the one with the problem!"

Nitori was screaming now, and Rin was scared. The only time he had ever seen Nitori scream was that one time when he hated his guts for about a day and he never wanted to experience it again in his life.

"I- I don't- WAIT, I mean-"

"What? What DO you mean Rin?"

"Don't yell at me!"

_Oh oh. Wrong choice of words._

"Of course! YOU can yell at everyone right? But god forbid SOMEONE YELLS AT YOU! For god's sake Rin get down from your high horse and stop being a drama queen for once in your life!"

Nitori turned around and stormed away. Rin was paralyzed. Nobody had ever yelled at him like that. Not even his mother.

When he finally blinked and came back to reality, he saw all the swim team looking at him as if he was a freak. He was sure there were some who were glaring at him from the back. Who would have known that Ai had so many guard dogs?

Rin quickly picked up his things and ran out of there, knowing perfectly well that Nitori would be at their dorm, probably throwing all of Rin's stuff out.

Nitori was sad, but mostly he was mad. Why wasn't Rin talking to him? Was he tired of him already? Had he been so annoying that he had turned Rin into a complete monster? He thought he was close to him, at least enough to know that if something was wrong he was there for him. But Rin hadn't said a word, and now that he thought about it, he hadn't really said much during these last few weeks, just touching him, probably out of obligation.

Still, that didn't gave him the right to yell at him and be constantly mad at him. He was supposed to be his boyfriend, someone he cared about. What was happening?  
He was frustrated. Frustrated with both Rin and himself. No one had ever gotten the best of him, making him scream and say things he didn't mean. Love was supposed to take the best out of you, but this didn't seemed to be the case.

Maybe they weren't right for each other at the end.

Ai rubbed his eyes a little too rough, noticing finally that he was sitting at the edge of Rin's bed.

It wasn't long before he could hear the fumbling of the door handle and a few steps before the door was closed.

Nitori was staring intently at the floor in front of him, too mad at both of them to even look at Rin.

He didn't want to be this person. He was always known for being kind and caring, and this was slowly turning him into the exact opposite. Unconsciously, he closed his hands, forming tight fists as he trembled in rage.

Rin was faced with a sight that he never wanted to see again.

Ai was sitting on his bed, face casted downwards and trembling with rage. He didn't even think that emotion was possible in him. He could feel his heart pulling itself apart. He had done this. He had turned Nitori in the only thing thing that he hated more than himself, his OLD self.

He could feel the tears burning the back of his eyes, and every muscle in his body was screaming to him to just cross the room and kiss it all better. It couldn't hurt right? If Nitori hated him, then he could at least have a last kiss before everything else went to hell.

Before he could regret it, Rin took the few steps that took until he was touching the edges of his bed. He kneeled next to his boyfriend and before he could lose his courage, he leaned over Ai.

And now here they were. Almost facing each other, but none of them brave enough to look into each other's eyes.

Rin didn't even realize how desperate he was, tracing every centimeter of porcelain skin with his lips, his whole body trembling with raw emotion. If he was going to lose him, he would face it later, right now he had to make the better out of this horrible situation.

He closed his eyes and ghosted his lips over every inch of Nitori that he could, making sure to memorize everything and burn that into his mind for when he wound't have him to do so.

Rin's eyes were burning, his whole mind going numb at the possibility that this could be the last time he could be placing gentle kisses over Ai.

His trembling hands grabbed a handful of Nitori's shirt, as if making sure that this was real, it wasn't some kind of nightmare that he could wake up from, this was it. And he was going to fight until Nitori said it was enough.

Ai could feel Rin shaking slightly, and when he turned his head in his direction, he could see the small tears trailing down his face. He was about to say something when he felt those lips on the back of his neck, making his mind go blank.

He was mad right? What was he mad to begin with? He wasn't sure anymore, all he was sure about were those pair of lips making him hot and taking the last remains of his rationality with them.

He was, nevertheless, brought back when he felt a small tug at his shoulder, followed by a faint thud. Rin's forehead was now resting on his shoulders, his whole frame still shaking.

Nitori brought his hand to the other boy's shoulder and separated them a bit.

"Rin?"

"This is it, isn't it?" his voice was so small, so fragile, that Nitori could feel his heart sinking into his stomach.

"What are you taking about?"

Nitori could hear a faint sob and it immediately put him on edge. He turned completely towards the redhead and stared at him.

Rin still had his head hanging down, red strands of hair covering his face.

"Rin, look at me"

Rin continued to tremble, not making any other movement.

"Rin-"

"You're sick of me aren't you?" This time he lifted his head, giving Ai a small smile that did more than just break his heart.

Nitori saw the tears still falling and couldn't find it in him to say anything, his throat completely dry.

Rin just sniffled and hung his head again.

"I knew it" was all he said. That awful tone in his voice that made it sound like he was amused by it, and not completely shattered as Nitori could see him.

Not knowing what to do, Nitori just placed both of his hand on either side of Rin's face and kissed him. He could taste the salty tears that were still falling, but he could also feel the desperation in Rin once he started responding to the kiss.

He started to pull away, but made sure to give one small and reassuring peck before pulling away completely.

"What's going on with you?"

"Are you tired of me?"

All of Nitori's anger had long left, and it had left nothing but concern in his chest. Why would Rin think that?

"Why would you ever think that?"

"You barely ever kiss me if I don't start it, but you seem completely comfortable clinging off of Mikoshiba. I just, I understand if you don't want us to be together anymore. I'm a shitty boyfriend, as I came to realize today."

Rin cleaned his tear-stained cheeks along with the few that were still clinging to his long eyelashes.

"Is that it? Is that why you've been in such a bad mood lately?"

"You laugh and hug with everyone but me!" he didn't wanted to sound whiny, but it was way too late to worry about his pride anyway.

"I didn't want to push you. We're both new to this. Neither of us has ever been with a guy before, and I didn't want to scare you if you weren't ready."

"I've been kissing you and touching you as much as can! How could I be scared?!"

"Don't yell at me. And how would I know if you don't tell me?"

"Yeah, well you're the one who leaves every night instead of staying in my bunk and kissing." He was pouting now, much to Nitori's dismay. He had a weakness for pouty Rin.

"Plus, how am I going to talk to you about it when I'm the only one who ever starts anything between us? I didn't want to seem clingy."

"Well, I didn't want to be pushy."

Nitori smiled softly, gently pushing some of Rin's hair behind his ear to get a better look at him.

Rin just leaned into the touch, sighing in relief.

"So, you were scared? That's what was happening?"

Rin didn't even ope his eyes, just nodded with his head still rubbing against Ai's hand.

Nitori quickly retrieved his hand, placing both of them on Rin's shoulders and pushing him on the bed. Hovering above him, he placed little kisses along his jaw and all over his face, successfully managing to retrieve little giggles out of the older boy.

"You know, you can be such a baby sometimes" Nitori said, placing one more kiss on his nose.

"Am not" Rin deadpanned, but was quickly transformed into more giggles as Ai continued his butterfly kisses all over.

"What should I do to show you that I don't want anyone BUT you?" Ai asked, as he traced more kisses, this time along his neck all the way to his collarbone.

Rin's breath hitched, threading his fingers into grey locks.

"Well, that seems to work" he said, even if it was barely a whisper.

Nitori smirked, looking at the blush over Rin's face as well as his closed eyes and parted lips.

He continued peppering kisses wherever he found skin, small fingers trailing at Rin's sides.

He had settled between Rin's legs, hovering over his face and hands pulling his shirt up, exposing his firm abs.

Still a little insecure, Nitori placed his hands on his torso, slowly running the tips of his fingers on tanned skin and tight muscles.

He then looked up, catching red and glazed irises as he did. Rin was spread in front of him, looking better than it ever had before, and he felt his heart going crazy, the thumping making its way to his ears.

He pulled at his boyfriend's shirt tentatively, asking permission to keep going. Rin nodded, lifting himself a little to get the thing over his shoulders. He then pulled Nitori into a heated kiss, bringing the boy on top of him.

They clung to each other, trying to get as close as possible, their mouths never separating more than a few second to catch some air, and clashing back together in greedy need.

All of this had taken its toll on both of them, and now that everything had been left behind, they didn't need anything more than this. Except maybe a little less clothes.

Rin was quickly coming back to himself and without a doubt, flipped them over, leaving Ai on his back and staring at him with half lidded eyes. This was too much for him, and he was not going to turn back now, not when he was finally getting all the reassurance that he needed.

He started pulling at Nitori's shirt, lifting him a bit, before tossing it out behind him. He went for a deep kiss once again, leaving Ai a little breathless and panting, as he continued his trail. He went to his ear, knowing perfectly well that they turned Ai into absolute mush.

He brushed his tongue along the back of his neck, gaining himself a low moan from the boy underneath him. He sucked at the juncture of his neck and his torso, taking care of not leaving any traces.

He kissed his way down his stomach, gently leaving a butterfly kiss near his bellybutton, making Ai laugh slightly and squirm a little.

He pulled both of his hands down Nitori's sides, stopping at his navel, preparing himself to take a bite out of Ai's hip.

That's when he felt a small hand on his cheek.

"Something wrong?"

Nitori looked embarrassed, but shook his head. "Just… be careful. You know… because of your, um, teeth."

Rin huffed, and sat on his heels.

Nitori knew it was a sensitive subject, and tried to be careful with his choice of words, but it seemed as it didn't exactly work.

The redhead motioned for Ai to sit too, and once they were face to face, he stretched out his hand. Nitori looked at him with a confused expression on his face.

"Give me your hand" he said.

Still not understanding what was happening, Nitori placed his hand over Rin's and waited expectantly.

Rin blushed a little, but carefully picked two of Nitori's fingers and put them in his mouth.

Ai blushed completely, looking at the sheepish expression on Rin, as he pictured something entirely different on that pretty mouth. He felt his temperature rising, and could literally feel the heat emanating from his face as his thoughts continued to race. They were halted when he felt a little pressure on his fingers. That's when it dawned on him.

"You're… bitting me?"

His boyfriend nodded, and put a little more pressure onto the tip of the grey haired boy's fingers.

"it doesn't hurt. I thought they were sharp!"

Rin pulled the fingers out of his mouth and gave him a sideways smile.

"They are still teeth you know. I'm not a shark, despite what everyone seems to think."

Nitori smiled fully this time, getting closer to put a kiss on that pretty mouth.

Rin allowed him and let his hand drop onto his torso, before pushing him again under him.

He started lowering himself and leaving kisses on his way, making Ai squirm again.

"So, where were we?" he asked, and Nitori could literally hear the grin in Rin's voice. God he could be sexy sometimes. Well, most times, when he wasn't covered in snot and tears.

Nitori felt Rin graze his teeth against his skin and from that moment he knew he was doomed.

He felt a new wave of heat take over his body, every nerve of his body suddenly on edge, as if a shock of electricity had shot through his spine.

The gasp that came out of his mouth was more than enough encouragement for Rin to keep on going and discover every detail in Nitori's body.

His hands came all the way down from his neck, to his nipples, only to get a sharp take of breath for Rin's own entertainment, until he finally placed them on Ai's knees. He made his way to the other side of his hip, leaving a wet trail with his tongue and enjoying the way that his boyfriend's back arched under his treatment. Once on the other side, he started pulling down at Ai's school pants, feeling the way that Nitori froze in place as soon as he did.

He glanced up at him, eyes locked on the other's silently asking if it was okay. Nitori gave him a dreamy smile, clearly giving away his state of ecstasy under Rin's gentle fingers and mouth.

Rin proceeded to pull down his pants, carefully taking them off his ankles and putting them aside. That's when it hit him, once he was practically learing at his boyfriends exposed body, a flush covering him from his head all the way to his torso, panting and watching him trough thick lashes.

Rin gulped. This was way better than he had ever imagined. He briefly recalled the dream he had had once, a long time ago, but the picture in front of him was too much not to put his full attention into it.

He replaced himself between slim and firm legs, fingers tracing the edges of the purple boxers in front of him. Placing a teasing kiss right above the edge, Rin trapped the piece of clothing between his teeth and started pulling them down too.

That's when he noticed something. A little patch just under Nitori's navel. Another little mole, this one a little lighter in color, and from Rin's angle, it looked like something very particular. He smiled at it and focused his attention on what he was doing, but not before leaving a little kiss right on it.

Once he got rid of the boxers and had placed them over the pile next to the bed, he felt his breath catch in his throat. This was it. This was what he had been waiting for, and he might have been a little too eager.

His eyes fully took the sight in front of him and he licked his lips. He went up, giving another deep kiss to the more than eager boy underneath him, leaving them both a little dizzy.

He then returned to his position, taking both of Nitori's legs and placing them over his shoulders. He covered his thighs with kisses and small bites, wanting to leave a mark on that pure white skin that was now his. Nitori was losing it now, and Rin hadn't even touched his growing erection yet. He could feel his mind giving out and his body giving in to the touch, his breath coming in small puffs of air when they weren't replaced by low and lewd sounds.

When Rin kissed the head of his now fully hard erection, Ai's head shot back, his spine arched out of the bed and his legs clenched Rin tightly between them. He laughed a little at the reaction from the smaller boy, enjoying every second of it.

He then commenced what he had been fantasizing about for months now. He trailed his tongue along Ai's length, noticing how the boy was much bigger that he had ever thought. Repeating this a couple more times, he was prepared for more. He put the entirety of Nitori in his mouth, bravely managing to gag only a couple of times.

Nitori was losing his mind. He moaned and gripped at the sheets beside his head until his knuckled turned white, his whole body feeling like it was on fire.

Rin kept going at it for a while. He bobbed his head, hollowing his cheeks as much as he could, but being a beginner was hard, and his jaw was starting to ache. Giving one good and final suck, he pulled away. His lips felt strange and his jaw ached, and all he wanted were those pink lips on his. So he threw himself over his oversensitive boyfriend and claimed his mouth as he had done multiple times that afternoon.

Nitori gave in, desperately taking every piece of Rin that his body could allow, and kissed him until his lungs screamed at him for some air.

"Sorry I couldn't finish you" whispered Rin, looking a little disappointed.

"That-" huff "That's okay" Nitori could barely catch his breath, he had trouble speaking.

Then, an idea hit him.

"Would you- umm, would you mind if I tried … that too?"

Rin could feel the blush slowly creeping its way onto his face, making him hot all over.

"You- you don't have to, it's fine"

Nitori sat up and pushed Rin down. Before he could say anything, he straddled him and kissed him, biting at his lower lip and enjoying the small whimper that came out of him.

He knew how to make Rin weak, much to his dismay, so he took advantage of it. He kept on kissing him until his lips were a lovely shade of pink and he knew that his mind was fuzzy on the edges, taking his pants and underwear off before he could refuse.

He then placed himself between Rin's legs, and taking a little revenge, bit into the sensitive skin of his thighs. If he was going to sport hickeys the next day, he was going to give some too.

He took his time taunting at the redhead's skin, enjoying just as much all of the small moans and growls that erupted from him despite his efforts to keep them down.

Nitori prepared himself, and dove in. He licked the tip of Rin's length, seeing how the taller boy trembled as the sensation made its way up his body.

He traced his tongue around the head, taking some sort of pleasure in the reactions coming from the boy he loved so much.

When he knew it was too much teasing, he took as much as he could of Rin, and started going up and down, circling his tongue around it.

His mouth started to relax and he started taking him further and further into him. When he couldn't take more, he started a rhythm again, his hands playing with the oversensitive skin of his thighs, tracing his nails over them.

Nitori sucked and bobbed his head, hearing how Rin was getting closer and closer, and even thought he felt tired and knew he couldn't take much more, he kept on going.

Rin was practically chanting his name by now, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his head thrown back as he kept on mumbling nonsense.

It wound't take much long, but Nitori felt a hand on his cheek, forcing him to look up. He looked at half lidded eyes, filled with pleasure, but he saw determination behind them too. Rin tugged at Nitori's face once again, and he complied. He pulled away with an obscene pop and went up to meet Rin's lips. They continued kissing passionately, both far too gone in the feelings that were traveling though their bodies.

"What happened?" he asked between gasps.

"I just wanted to kiss you" Rin said. It took Nitori by surprise, because Rin being this honest and straightforward was a strange sight.

He kissed the tip of his nose and smiled.

"I love you, you know?"

Rin blushed three shades darker than his own hair and mumbled back to him.

"I love you too"

Nitori giggled and put his arms around Rin's neck.

Rin started nibbling at his neck and rolled them so they were on their sides.

He caressed Nitori's sides, tracing his hipbone in comforting circles with his thumb. He let his hands fall a little under and took Nitori by surprise when he took his forgotten erection between his fingers.

Nitori moaned loudly, too surprised to consider not being so loud. Rin then took Nitori's hand and directed it to his own length and started pumping them both. Nitori got an idea of where this was going and started pumping Rin as they tried to set a rhythm.

The boyfriends joined their foreheads, feeling their breaths in their faces as the pleasure took over their bodies.

Hips were starting to jerk and backs started to arch as both boys felt the pressure starting to rise, knowing full well that it wouldn't take long for them to finish. So Nitori took his free hand and pulled Rin in for a feverish and messy kiss, their hands going up and down as they came undone.

Nitori came first, a small cry leaving his and Rin's mouths as he trembled in pure bliss, only for Rin to come a few seconds later, leaning into Nitori while he called his name.

They both stayed there, laying on their sides as they catched their ragged breaths.

Nitori pulled Rin closer to him, his head resting over Nitori's chest as he played with his hair.

"That was interesting"

Rin smiled and looked at Ai, putting a kiss on the side of his lips.

"That's one way of putting it I guess"

They both laughed, still too engulfed in the intimacy of their post-orgasm state. They would have loved to cuddle, but the fluids and the stickiness between them was not appealing.

They decided on taking a quick shower before heading out and apologize to Mikoshiba about their little fight. They would have time to cuddle later on.

They were under the shower, hot water hitting them both and relaxing their muscles as Rin continued to wash Ai's hair.

"Captain is going to chew our heads off you know"

"I don't think so. We should just apologize and see what kind of punishment we'll get."

"Punishment?"

"Well, yeah. We interrupted the training and them skipped it all together"

"Ugh. I just don't want to apologize to him."

Nitori laughed "Well, you could always tell him what actually happened" and proceeded to wiggle his eyebrows.

Rin slapped his butt before saying "yeah right"

. . .

"Actually, it's not a bad idea. We should tell him."

Nitori turned around, incredulity etched on his face. "What?"

"I mean, not everything OF COURSE. Just you know, about us."

Nitori kept staring at him wide-eyed.

"What?"

"You really want to tell him?"

"Well, yeah. I think it's time, don't you think?"

"If you're ready, then I'm ready."

"Let's just hope he won't be a dick about it" run grumbled quietly.

"Don't talk like that about Sei. He's a good guy."

That reminded Rin of something.

"Oh yeah, since when are you so close to Mikoshiba anyway?"

Nitori looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Since forever. We're childhood friends"

"WHAT?!" Rin almost slipped in the shower he was so surprised.

"I though you knew?"

"Why do you call him captain and senpai then?"

"Because we didn't want people thinking that there was favoritism in the team. It just seemed right."

"Right…" It was still too strange for Rin to wrap his head around it, but at least now he knew.

Once they had changed into fresh clothes, the two boys made their way to the pool, knowing full well that the captain would still be there, even if practice had ended half an hour ago.

"Sei, you there?"

"Yeah, over here Chi!"

" _Chi_?" Rin mumbled.

"Short for Aiichirou. You can't really blame him, he started calling me like that when we were kids."

Rin didn't like this, but he couldn't stand between childhood friends, he knew that perfectly well thanks to Makoto and Haru.

"Oh, Matsuoka, you're here too!"

"Yeah…"

Seijuurou looked at Nitori a little confused. Nitori shook his head and kept on talking.

"We wanted to apologize for our behavior before."

They both looked at Rin, who had his arms behind his head and was looking away. Nitori elbowed him as discreetly as he could.

"Right, sorry" he said.

Mikoshiba smiled one of his bright smiles and accepted their apology.

"You'll have cleaning duty tomorrow as punishment, but I forgive you."

"Thank you!" Nitori almost screamed, his eyes bright and loving.

"There's something else that we need to tell you, right Rin?"

Rin stared at Nitori in disbelief, they exchanged some looks, Rin clearly not expecting for him to be telling the captain.

"Yeah…. We're kind of…. dating now" He looked away, a faint blush on his cheeks.

Mikoshiba looked at Ai in surprise, but he only responded with a wide smile and a nod. Mikoshiba's heart melted when he saw the state of pure happiness of his friend and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm happy for you then." He said, releasing the smaller from his grip.

Rin ventured a glance and nodded when Mikoshiba gave him a nod of respect.

"Just don't be all lovey-dovey in my pool!" he said behind a wide grin.

Nitori blushed completely and smacked him on the arm. "Of course we won't!"

Seijuurou snickered and ruffled the smaller's hair.

"I know you won't! Good for you Chi."

He smiled warmly and put his big hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Would you be a dear and bring me my stop watch? I left it on one of the starting blocks"

"Sure! I'll be right back!" Nitori said and jogged to the pool side.

Mikoshiba took this opportunity to make things clear.

He put his hand on Rin's shoulder, just as he had with Ai, but the intensity in it was not the same. The foxy captain's smile left his face and was replaced by a very menacing look.

"You hurt that kid Matsuoka, and it will be the end of you. You can kiss the olympics goodbye, don't test me" he growled.

Rin gulped and stared at his captain, not knowing what to do. Thankfully Nitori was back in no time and saved him from certain death, placing the watch on Mikoshiba's hands.

"Here you go!"

"Thank you Chi." He smiled wholeheartedly again, and Rin couldn't understand how he could go from blood thirsty psychopath to loving puppy in 0.002 seconds, but he wasn't about to find out.

Completely oblivious to all of this, Nitori said his goodbyes to the captain and took Rin's hand in his as he made his way back to the dorm. Rin's knees were still a little weak when he was pulled by his boyfriend, but he caught up to him, not before glancing again to the captain who kept glaring at him from afar.

Nitori definitely had too many bodyguards for his own safety.

"Have any plans for today?" Asked Nitori, pulling Rin away from his thoughts of being murdered by a team of enraged swimmers.

"Hmmm not really, but I have some ideas…" Rin looked at Nitori with a smirk on his face and wiggled his eyebrows.

Ai blushed and got flustered, making Rin laugh. He looked around and noticing there was no one around, placed his arm around Nitori and kissed him. He then took his hand again and kept on walking.

They could both feel the butterflies in their bellies, floating around and making them giddy. Every relationship had its ups and downs, but they were definitely going to fight for theirs. There was so much they had yet to experience, and sharing a room was definitely a plus now. With this in mind, they made their way to the dorm, knowing perfectly well that even though there were two bunks in the room, only one would be getting used for a long while.

"So…" Rin said "did you know you have a mole on your hip that looks like a heart?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys this was my first attempt at smut and omg I don't even know. I hope it wasn't so terrible, you will tell me.  
> I want to properly apologize for not updating, but between having an actual life, traveling and university it's been rough! I should be writing a thesis right now, but nope, here i am trying to make fictional boys make out.  
> Also I want to apologize, cause well you see, I'm in my last year of university and enduring finals, and I'll be homeless in about a week, so I hope you guys understand that there's been things I have to take care first.  
> So thank you for understanding. And see you next time ~


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Probably what you were waiting for, but still not what you thought.   
> Which basically means, someone scores a home run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: As always, I do not own anything but the stupid drabbles flown from my imagination. Thank you for reading!

Rin had just ended his conversation with Makoto and slowly put the phone on the bed. This was it. It was time for him to tell them.

He looked at his side only to have all of his concerned tossed away at the sight of his cute boyfriend sleeping peacefully next to him, smothering one of his pillows since he wasn't between his arms anymore.

With much regret, Rin shook Nitori slightly, trying to wake the fair haired boy.  
He leaned closer and let a quick peck on his temple before getting up.

"It's time to leave Ai, get up"

"Mmmnmmm…"

"Ai.."

"2 more minutes.."

Rin sighed but couldn't help the grin on his face. If he had to do this, it would definitely be for him.

After 5 more minutes, Rin was ready to go, standing by the door.

"Come on Ai, we're gonna be late"

"I'm comin'.." Ai rubbed his bright blue eyes and got up. He dragged himself towards the door and clumsily put his shoes on.

"I swear to god Ai, if you weren't so damn cute, I would be so annoyed right now"

Nitori looked up at his boyfriend and gave him a smile.

"I know"

The compliment seemed to had done the trick and Nitori was quickly regaining his conciosness as he clung on Rin's arm.

"If you weren't so cute I would still be sleeping"

Rin blushed. Bright red. It was a mystery to him how he could still turn into a blushing teenage girl at Ai's every word, but it was part of being in love right?

Together, hand in hand, they made their way towards Haru's place.

They were all there. Makoto, Haru, Nagisa and Rei were sitting around Haru's table, all looking at them with curious looks.

He was sure his friends were good people and they would absolutely understand, but that didn't mean that this was not a nerve-wrecking situation.

Quickly glancing to the smaller boy next to him, he took a deep breath and looked at his friends.

"So…. I asked you guys to come here because I have something important to say.."

"Is everything okay?" Makoto asked. It was to be expected, with him being the mother hen of the group.

"Are you leaving again Rin-chan?!" Nagisa practically yelled.

This made the rest of the boys to fall dead silent as their eyes went wide and sad.

"What? No! That's not it!"

A small sniffle was heard, but Rin preferred to ignore it. It was very possible that he would end up crying and snotting all over everybody if he allowed it, so he was kind of trying to avoid the situation at best.

"It's something very important, and I…. I hope you guys will urm.. understand."

"I'm sure we will Rin-san" Rei said. And Rin appreciated that, so he gave him a little smile before continuing.

"I am… I mean… we are… we kind of just…"

Rin let out a shaky breath, ready to start over.

"I'M -"

"You're dating right?"

Everyone fell silent once again, and five stunned glances fell over Haru's stoic face.

"Haru! Don't say something like that so easily!"

"That was rude Haru-chan!"

"Haruka-senpai, you should really try to read the situation before saying something like that!"

"Yes."

Now it was Rin's turn to be stared at by a group of mouth gaping teens.

"WHat?!"

Rin was being defensive again, but he barely had the time to start spitting angry words since two strong arms came crushing him while he was lifted from the floor by a very enthusiastic Makoto.

"I'm so happy for you Rinrin!"

From the corner of his eye, Rin could see a very touched Rei and Nagisa being dangerously close to tears. He was already expecting another set of arms around his frame when he heard a small "ouuf" right beside them.

To his big surprise, Nagisa had thrown himself over Ai, this last one doing his best to keep Nagisa's weight. He was also, openly crying now.

"I'm s- so happy f-for you Ai-chan!" It was really kind of adorable, Rin thought, what with all the hiccuping and snotting as little kids do.

Rei elegantly walked to them and unhooked Nagisa from Ai's arms as Nagisa gripped tightly to Rei's shirt. He looked like a very blonde and snotty koala.

Rei gave Ai a warm smile and a gentle squeeze on his shoulder.

"We're all proud of you Aiichirou-kun"

Ai himself had teary eyes and a blushing face. Rin could perfectly see how happy he was from having such a good reaction from his friends.

The redhead hugged Makoto a little harder when he felt his own eyes burn a little, but it all went to hell when he saw his other friend.

Still sitting and watching the scene before him, Haru's eyes caught Rin's and was that….? Was that a smile on Nanase Haruka's face?

It was small and smug but it was real and sincere. Haru hardly ever needed to say something when his eyes and his smile gave so much away.

Rin's heart grew three times its size that day, and it was all thanks to the wonderful friends he had missed for so long.

He was so glad to have added a small freckled wonder to that small and precious treasure of his.

The next step was probably the hardest one. Since they were already at Haru's place, it only seemed to right to visit the Matsuoka residence and keep giving the news to those important in their lives.

Rin was nervous, that was a given, but Nitori, poor little Nitori was losing his mind.

He knew they would have to do this, but he never thought he would be present for that, as he never intended to make Rin face his family when the moment arrived. Nevertheless, when Rin asked him to join him, he couldn't refuse. It was a decision they had made together, they were together in this, for better or for worse, so it seemed about right to join him. But that didn't stop the internal breakdown he was having.

He had only met Mrs. Matsuoka once, when she and Kou had visited Rin. It had obviously been a surprise visit, since Rin was still in that awful stage of his life where he hated everyone. She looked like a very accomplished and strong woman. And Ai knew Kou very well by now to know that scary faces and intimidation came as a family package.

With his hands cold from the nerves that were consuming him, he breathed deeply and prepared himself.

They were both sitting at the Matsuoka's living room, both close to each other on one couch while the women in the family faced them with concerned looks.

"It's strange for onii-chan to come home isn't it?" Kou commented.

"Now now honey, I'm sure it's important if he brought moral support." She looked at Nitori who only half smiled and looked down at his trembling hands.

"Mom, Kou… I have something to tell you."

"You're not leaving again are you?!" they both screamed at him, though one voice was concerned while the other one was rather scary.

"What? NO! Why do people keep asking me that?" Rin sighed and quickly threaded a hand through is hair.

"What is it then sweety? You're scaring us." his mom said.

"I'm… well actually….we're dating" Rin slid his hand into Nitori's hand and squeezed hard. This instantly threw Ai off, and he turned his face towards the ones in front of them.

They were both stunned, with red faces and wide eyes. The silence that took over felt like an eternity if you asked any of the boys, every second stretching and eating them as they were watched by fiery orbs.

His mother was the first to react. She stood up, with a contorting face and walked towards them. Rin cringed and closed his eyes, somehow expecting to get a slap out his mother for being ridiculous. It was the tear sliding down her face that scared Ai. Rin didn't get to see it, but he did, and he could only imagine all the feelings of disappointment and regret that his boyfriend's mother could be harboring inside her at this moment.

Bracing himself as well for what could only be a disaster, he jumped as soon as he felt contact from her.

When they both opened their eyes, Rin's mother was between them, holding them together in her arms while she quietly sobbed.

"Mom..?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry Nitori-kun that you have to see me like this, but I'm just so happy for you two."

Both boys felt a wave of relief wash over them as she kept them tightly in place, letting her own relief overcome her.

"It was about time you know" Was all Kou said before making her way and cramping their personal space too.

"I was so worried about you Rin. I don't care who you're with as long as you're happy. As long as you get to experience what your father and I did" she said, one last tear rolling down her cheek.

Rin smiled sadly, knowing exactly what her mother had been worrying about. He had been such a loving boy when he was younger, but after all his different experiences, he had turned angry and sad. This was her way of saying she was happy that he had found his old happiness again. As he glanced towards his family as they clung to Ai, he thought to himself how he couldn't agree more.

The young couple stayed for dinner while Rin's family welcomed Ai as their new member. They chatted about their relationship, their school and finally, both women were more than happy to share some embarrassing photos as well as stories from the redheaded boy.

It was a night that would be forever ingrained in their hearts. They were happy and safe, and now only one step away from being completely free.

A month had already gone by since the day that the couple had come out to both friends and family. It had also been a month since the team captain had announced it to the swim team, clearly showing the dangers of ever making fun of them or making them feel uncomfortable.

It surprised Rin how well they all took it. He didn't knew they could all be so open minded, coming from such a small town in Japan, but it had worked out. Though he was pretty sure it had less to do with open minds that it had to do with Ai's puppy effect.

Ai's puppy effect, as Rin liked to call it, was his boyfriend's deathly weapon and it worked wonderfully. Ai was the kind of person that could easily charm you with his bright smile and big puppy eyes, and when you least expected it, he already had your heart in the palm of his hand. So now that the entire swim team was under Ai's effect, they all cared for him just like they would with a puppy. They would hug him and pamper him and no matter what the puppy did, they would defend him and protect him from any danger. So that was probably why they were all so okay with it, not that that was a problem for Rin. Anything that could make his life easier was more than welcomed.

It was the middle of october, and Rin and Ai were sitting on Rin's bunk, blanket covering them both as they proceeded with their thursday night routine: watching anime with take out food until they eventually fell asleep, bundled up together.

Ai was rather surprised that their favorite anime to watch was still Shingeki no Kyojin, since it wasn't really Ai's style. But it was impossible to hate it, you were instantly pulled in by the story and inevitably cared for the characters.

Nitori was watching closely, carding his slim fingers through Rin's hair. The redhead was now sleeping soundly, head resting on Ai's thigh and drooling a little bit. It was amazing how this still looked cute in Nitori's eyes, but he couldn't help it.

He put a strand of hair behind one of Rin's ears, when his cellphone buzzed and chimed.

"I'LL KILL THEM ALL!" Rin bounced off the bed his hands in the air.

Nitori stared for 2 seconds before falling on his side he was laughing so much.

"Easy there Eren. You're gonna hurt yourself."

Rin sat on the floor and rubbed the sore spot on his side.

"Shut up. What was that anyway?"

"Oh right! My phone!"

Ai slid his hand on the bed until he found what he was looking for.

"It's a text. From Nagisa"

"Ugh. Don't look at it. Delete it. Never open a text from Nagisa, trust me"

"Ehh? But it's to invite us to a halloween party!"

Rin stared at Ai, one perfect eyebrow raised at him in disbelief.

"I am not going to a halloween party."

"But Rin it could be so much fun!"

"No"

"Please!"

"No"

"But-"

"No"

"Fine"

Ai pouted and crossed his arms, purposely avoiding Rin's gaze. This only made Rin giggle, already satisfied with himself for avoiding such a horrible situation.

Ai picked up his phone and typed away what could only be an answer to the evil shota's text.

"You may not be going, but I am." he said.

"What?"

"If you don't want to go, I won't force you. But I'm still going."

"Are you serious right now?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Halloween parties are the best kind of parties. Plus, it's my favorite holiday."

"You have to be kidding me"

Ai finally turned to look at Rin, a bright and mischievous smile on his face. "Too bad you're not coming though"

"When's the stupid party anyway?"

Success! Now he only had to pull a liiiittle but more…

"Next weekend. The captain is also invited"

"Ugh. FINE. But just so you know, I am NOT wearing a costume!"

Being more than over with the conversation, Rin got up and picked up some pajamas before going into the bathroom.

"I'll take a quick shower okay? Now stop talking to Nagisa. God knows you two are spending too much time together and his evilness is starting to rub up on you."

Ai looked at him with the most innocent face he could pull.

"You're not fooling me. I am not dressing up and that's final" with that he closed the door and shortly after the sound of the shower could be heard from the bunk.

"We'll see about that.."

Friday was finally here, and Ai couldn't be more excited. He had spent most of the night jittery, thinking about all the different possibilities for his costume. He had woken Rin up more than once with all of his stirring and tossing as he thought of the perfect costume for them. Because Rin was so going to get dressed up and they would have a couples costume and it would be the best halloween ever.  
So when he woke up tangled up between Rin's arms, Ai was buzzing with excitement.

As soon as classes were over, he would go to the mall and look for their costumes. He had already texted Nagisa asking him to join him. They were going to have so much fun.

It was already kind of late when he came back to the school but he had already told Rin he would be coming before bedtime. But when he entered the room, Rin was nowhere to be seen. He pulled out his phone and called him.

"Hey. Are you back?"

"Yes, I just got here. Where are you?"

"Playing cards with some of the guys. I'll be right there."

"Oh no, it's fine. I think I'll go straight to bed anyway."

There was a small pause and some shuffling from the other side of the line.

"So," Rin mumbled "you're going to bed without me? Is this how it starts? Are you tired of me already?"

Ai laughed and covered his mouth, trying to cover his amusement from his boyfriend.

"Yes Rin, this is it."

"Damn. Well I'll go and drink until I can't get up to try and forget about you. Although I might come back to grope you. You have been warned"

"You're going drinking? I'm taking custody of our kids Rin! You're tearing this family apart!"

Rin gave up and let his laughter slip through his lips. He had tried.

"You're such a dork"

"I know. So are you"

"I guess. Anyway, I'll finish up this round and I'll be on my way okay?"

"Okay."

"Love you"

"Love you too"

Nitori let his phone fall onto the mattress and realized he had a perfect opportunity in his hands. Without wasting anymore time, he quickly opened one of the bags he had brought with him from the mall and looked for two very specific things..

"Hey, I'm back." Rin closed the door and looked inside his room, looking for his boyfriend.

He wasn't in bed as he had expected him to, but he could see the light coming from under the bathroom's door.

Assuming he was either brushing his teeth or putting on his pajamas, Rin let himself fall onto his bed while he waited for Ai.

That's when he saw it. On the corner of the bed were two things he did not recognize. Sitting up, he stretched over the bed and tried to snatch the foreign objects when Ai opened the door.

"Oh! You're back!"

"Oh, yeah. What is this?"

"NO! DON'T LOOK AT IT!"

Rin dropped the items and put his hands in the air as if proving his innocence.

Nitori walked into the room, wearing one of Rin's t-shirts, one that slipped off of his shoulder and was longer than his boxer briefs. It was the best thing Rin had ever seen. If he stared a little, well, it wasn't really his fault.

"I got you something" was all the fair haired boy said.

"Hmm?"

Nitori sat next to Rin and picked up the stuff. He laid it on the bed and turned his gaze towards Rin, an expectant look plastered all over his pretty face.

Rin looked at the object displayed before him. One seemed like a...pair of pants? Yeah, they were definitely tight white pants. And the other thing… what was it? It looked like a knot of some kind of fabric? Wait.. was that… was that leather? WAS THAT LEATHER BONDAGE?

Rin looked straight up at Nitori, disbelief all over his flustered face.

"This.. this is.. for .. me?"

Nitori nodded, happy with himself and Rin gulped.

He could picture it. Being tied up to the bunk's posts, blindfolded an absolutely thrilled with all of Ai's teasing. He had never thought about it before, but the scenery inside his head was definitely appealing. Maybe a little rushed for them, but if Ai wanted it, he wouldn't complain, no matter who used it.

"You, umm, you got me bondage?" They hadn't even had sex yet, and Nitori already wanted kinky games? Rin started reconsidering everything. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea. Or was it? Was this really okay? Was he being a prude? What the hell was happening?

"You don't like it?" Rin could hear the disappointment in Ai's voice and he didn't know what to do.

"I- I mean, I don't know? Don't you think we should have um, talked about it? you know, before going into kinky play and shit?" Rin was blushing beyond belief. His hair was a joke, a mere pink compared to the state his face was right now.

"WHAT? Wait.. WHAT?"

"Why are YOU flustered?! YOU got the leather bondage!"

"OH MY GOD RIN!"

"What?!"

"It's not.. it's not for .. kinky things…" Nitori said, hiding his burning face behind his hands.

"What is it then?"

"It's.. that doesn't matter anymore. Did you wanted it to be for .. that?"

"What? I mean I don't know. i never thought about that before."

"That?"

"Yeah"

"So, does that mean you have thought about… other.. things?"

It was Rin's turn to hide.

"Well, yeah."

"What did you think about?"

"Are we really doing this right now?" the redhead sighed. This was slowly turning into a disaster.

"We don't have to."

Rin could easily recognize that tone. It was a "i'm not pushing you even if i want to" tone.

He grabbed Ai's hands in his and forced him to look him in the eye.

"Listen Ai, this is a big deal okay. I just don't want to rush into things we might not be ready for, that's all. It has nothing to do with you or me not wanting to do stuff with you. Okay?"

Ai nodded, still looking to the ground. This was going nowhere. Talking about your intimate moments was supposed to be important and obviously awkward, but not sad. Not like the face Nitori was making right now.

Rin put his hands under Ai's arms, easily bringing the smaller boy into his lap, placing him carefully and putting his arms around him.

"I love you"

Ai nuzzled into Rin's neck and breathed deeply. He buried his face into the other's skin, trying to be as close as he physically could.

"I wouldn't mind having sex"

Aiichirou literally felt as Rin's entire body tensed up and heard the air that was quickly breathed in in a sort of yelp. Maybe he should have kept his mouth closed.

"I - UHHH- ARE YOU SURE?!"

"Rin, you're yelling"

"YOU DIDN'T ANSWER MY QUESTION"

"You're still yelling"

"Just, ugh, answer me please"

"I am. I have been for a while now, but I didn't know if you were"

Ai moved so that he was facing Rin, his legs crossing over Rin's back. With both of his hands, he cupped Rin's face and placed a small kiss on his lips.

Rin felt hot and anxious, and he didn't know what to do. This was a good thing right? They could do this. He had already thought about it, so what more did he need than the open invitation he had just been given.

His vision finally focused on the boy in front of him, and couldn't help the warm feeling that travelled through his body, giving him goose bumps and strong heart palpitations. He felt his heart in his throat and the damn butterflies in his stomach. It was a sensation that Rin was more than used to by now, the sensation he both loved and hated. The sensation that only Ai gave him, at all times.

He placed his forehead over Ai's and smiled. It was that gentle and sincere smile that Ai loved, the one that was usually directed only at him.

The older boy kissed the tip of his boyfriend's nose before moving them, landing onto the mattress and the mess of blankets underneath.

Ai let himself be pushed, quickly getting used to the weight of Rin's body over his. Feeling every one of Rin's muscles stretch and contract over him, the beating of his heart as well as the feeling of rapid breaths ghosting over his face and neck was like a rush of adrenaline. It was Ai's favorite thing, and no matter how often it happened, he would never get used to it. To that sensation of having every nerve and inch of his body just overwhelmed by the presence of his boyfriend.

It drove the both of them crazy, the contact of skin to skin inebriating them with pure lust.

They desperately searched for each other's mouth, as if their lips were the oxygen that was lacking, something they needed in order to live, something they craved every second of every day.

It was too much and not enough at the same time. And soon enough, the need for more, the greediness inside them both won and they started to take off their clothing.

With their legs tangled up and their lips occupied, their hands were free to explore the warm skin of the other. Fingers started roaming Rin's neck and back, bringing him closer, as one of Rin's hand cupped the back of Ai's head.

Rin's other hand traveled from his chest to his hips, tracing patterns into his body, patterns that he wanted to engrave with teeth and tongue, patterns that no one but him were allowed to ever see.

The older boy left his hand on his boyfriend's hip, thumb gentle caressing the heart shaped mark that he loved when he felt teeth grazing the sensitive skin of his neck.

Hearing the low groan coming form Rin, Ai continued his quest to send every bit of Rin's sanity out of him. He left a trail over his collarbone, his tongue tasting the skin before landing on a spot right over his chest. Ai bit and bruised the spot, knowing that the only one who was able to leave an imprint on Rin's heart was him. It made him so happy, he was almost delirious.

He was so enthused in his doing, that he didn't even notice the gratifying feeling of Rin's nails over his skin when the other couldn't control the sensation ruling over his body.

Rin's sanity was definitely out of the window and he needed more. Leaning on one of his elbows, Rin let his hand go down further to wrap it over his boyfriend's growing pain.

The trembling gasp that erupted from him was like music to Rin's ears, and wanting to hear even more, he dipped his hand under Ai's underwear to take full hold of him.

Nitori squirmed and moaned as Rin pumped him over and over again, feeling dizziness from the abnormal amount of air in his head as he kept gasping along to Rin's movements.

Using the last remaining of his self-control, Ai took Rin's hand out of his garment.

"What's wrong?"

Rin was quick to ask, worrying that it was indeed too much for them, and Ai couldn't be more grateful to have such a considerate man for a boyfriend.

"It's okay. It's just that, are we gonna..?"

"Oh" OH

"If that is what you want" Rin said, laying quick pecks over Nitori's chest.

"Do you want to?"

The redhead placed one last kiss over Ai's heart before nuzzling into the crook of his neck. He considered his words, before whispering in Ai's ear.

"I want all of you"

A shiver traveled from Nitori's head to the tip of his toes. He didn't even know that a few words could have such an effect on his body. He wondered for a second if Rin would be on board on some dirty talking, but the feeling he had just felt was more than pure lust. Rin's words carried love within them, and he had literally felt the love go through him.

Not waiting for any sort of response, Rin sat up before staring around their room.

"We will umm, need stuff for this."

"OH! I have ..some"

Rin lifted one eyebrow as he watched his boyfriend get up and go to the bathroom. He wasn't even gonna ask why he had this "stuff". Actually, now that he thought about it, he definitely needed to know who had given him that, or who he had intended to use them with.

But this wasn't the moment to get angry and jealous, at least not right now. This was a special occasion, for both of them and it had to be perfect. He had to make this go perfectly.

Ai was rummaging through an old box he had stashed in the bathroom long ago, the box where he had hid the things he would need if this day ever came.

When he finally found the items that he was looking for, he picked them up and made his way back to the room. But before going back, he needed to take a deep breath. He looked at his reflection on the mirror and arranged his disheveled hair. Since he was already here, he should take advantage of this and make himself a little more presentable right?

He washed his mouth, put some deodorant and delicately put some perfume. He scattered it over his body, trying his best to not make it so obvious. Once he was ready, he took another deep breath and went back to their bunk.

When he opened the door though, he was greeted by dim light and a faint sweet smell.

He looked around the room, taking in each of the small candles that Rin had lit and scattered around the dorm. They casted a warm and lovely light that made the face of his boyfriend look almost surreal.

Whoever said that Rin was an inconsiderate and irrational person, didn't know a bit about him. Rin was a hopeless romantic, an unsure child that wore his heart on his sleeve. And in moments like this, Ai was hit with the realization that Rin was his. He was good enough for having been chosen by Rin as his partner.

The small gesture from the older boy touched Ai and he quickly threw his arms around him.

"It's beautiful! Thank you!"

Rin hugged him tightly. "I wanted it to be special." was all he said, before claiming his lips again.

Things started getting heated again, the only sound around them being the small gasps and the rustle of sheets. Nitori was soon grinding onto Rin, hooking his ankles together behind Rin's back, forcing them closer and closer, getting the friction they craved so much.

But they were only teenagers with too many hormones, and soon they found themselves on the verge, almost letting their pleasure peak.

That's when Rin made his move. He stood on his knees, and looked at the incredible view in front of him.

Laying on his back, breathing heavily and in small puffs, was his boyfriend, looking needy, body flushed and hair ruffled. His eyes were half lidded and his lips were swollen. Rin was sure that if he weren't so nervous, he would have finished right then and there. Who would have know that the little fair haired boy could be such a display of eroticism and lust?

Making a quick scan, Rin located the thing he needed. He picked up the bottle and stared at it. This was it. It was time to make some use of the research he had made. He could do this.

Putting some of the lube onto his fingers, Rin looked as the thick substance started sliding down his hand. He reclaimed his position, leaning on one of his elbows as he directed his hand to Ai's behind.

Rin gulped and started caressing the sensitive skin around Nitori's entrance. The boy in question drew a deep breath, as if surprised by the other's action.

Rin started tracing small circles, giving time to Ai or maybe himself, to prepare for what was coming. He threw a last glance at Ai, who only nodded his answer.

Rin slipped his finger inside, hearing the hissing noise coming from above him.

"Sorry! Does it hurt? Should I stop?"

"It's okay. Just.. go on"

Rin was unsure, and he could hear the pain behind Ai's voice, but he did as he was told and started making a motion, taking his finger out and then back in. It got easier the more he did it, and soon enough he thought it would be a good moment to put a second. Leaving a kiss on Ai's hip, Rin inserted his second digit, hearing the cry bursting out of his boyfriend.

"No! I CAN'T DO THIS! I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU!"

"Rin it's okay. I know it's gonna hurt at first, but I trust you." He placed his hand on Rin's cheek. "I love you."

The redhead frowned a bit, but as soon as his boyfriend laid back down, he continued his work.

And just as before, Ai relaxed and it got easier to keep up with his movements. Soon he started trying with scissoring motions, allowing Ai to properly stretch and avoid too much pain. When the third finger was added, Nitori didn't fight as much. Rin got a little calmer, but not any less awkward. He kept going for a moment, and when Nitori pulled him back up for a frantic kiss, he deemed it prepared enough.

Ai smiled at him before he pulled away again, searching for the condom that was lost somewhere between the sea of sheets.

When he finally found it, he tried to open it, but the nerves and the trembling did not help, and it was impossible for him to just open the damn thing.

"I can't.. I can't open it Ai! "

"Calm down, everything's okay. Here, let me do it."

Rin gave the condom to Nitori, who quickly ripped the package open and returned it to him. Rin might have glared just a bit, but he wasn't going to accept it. He was not going to accept the fact that he was so damn terrified that he couldn't even open the stupid condom. Why was Nitori so calm by the way?

Rolling the latex over himself, Rin breathed deeply and positioned himself.

"You sure about this?"

"Yes. Just, do it."

"That's reassuring."

Ai laughed, and for a moment, Rin felt better. Ai was laughing, they were comfortable and this was going to be perfect. It had to.

The tip of Rin's erection grazed Ai's entrance and he prepared himself for what was coming.

Rin slowly pushed in, trying his best to be as careful as possible. But as he was (not even) half way in, he could:  
1\. hear the agony Ai was going through  
2\. see a small tear leave Ai's perfect blue eyes and he stopped.

"I'm hurting you! I can't do this! I'm sorry! I'm sorry I'm so so sorry!"

Rin pulled back completely, only making Ai yell a little louder.

Rin threw himself over Ai, nuzzling his chest and trying his best to cover his face. He had failed. He needed to make this perfect for Ai, and he only had made him cry. This was awful and stupid and he was useless and a horrible horrible boyfriend.

Nitori sensed something wasn't right, and only pulled him closer, hugging him and talking quietly to try and calm him down.

"Rin, everything's okay, really. You need to trust me okay?"

"I'm so sorry. I ruined it."

"You didn't ruin anything." Ai was rubbing Rin's back, soothing the older boy between his arms.

"I know it's intimidating, and you feel responsible, and it's a big deal, but you need to trust me. If I say it's okay it's because it really is."

"But I hurt you.." Rin's voice was so small that it actually hurt Ai.

"Yes, it did hurt, but it will get better after a while. I know that, and you know that too. You don't need to feel pressured into this. If you're not ready then that's okay"

"But I am! I just, I don't know."

"It's scary isn't it?"

"How would you know? I was the one hurting YOU."

"Well, because I know."

"What, you've had sex before?" Rin scoffed.

"Well, yeah."

If the night hadn't already been ruined by Rin's breakdown, not it definitely had.

"WHAT?"

"I thought you knew?"

"HOW WOULD I KNOW? You never told me!"

"I told you I had a girlfriend before"

"That doesn't mean anything!"

"I - well, okay. I guess it was kind of implied"

Rin was pissed. He had ruined their first time, well HIS first time, since apparently his boyfriend already had experience. He turned around, giving his back to Ai before pulling the covers over himself.

"Rin.."

". . ."

"Rin please"

". . ."

"Are you mad at me?"

Rin burst out from his cocoon to yell.

"OF COURSE I AM!"

"Please don't yell at me."

"Sorry."

"Why are you mad? Is it because I'm not a virgin?"

Rin didn't want to admit it but knowing that, not only was he the only virgin in the room, Ai had been touched and loved before by someone who wasn't him. He knew it was absolutely stupid to be jealous of someone he didn't even knew, for something that had happened even before Rin and Ai met. But still, there it was. That awful burning feeling inside, the bitter taste in his mouth, now joining the guilt of having ruined their night.

Rin was a horrible boyfriend, but he couldn't exactly help how he felt.

"Rin?"

"What?"

"Stop pouting"

"I'm not pouting!"

Nitori rolled on top of his boyfriend, trying to get him to look at him.

"Rin.. please, look at me"

Rin growled but still did as he was told.

"I'm sorry that tonight didn't go according to plan. And I'm sorry that you're mad, but I can't be sorry for doing something that I wanted to do at the time. I was in love, and it felt right."

Rin still didn't say a word, but he kept looking at the sparkling eyes in front of him.

"Just, please don't be mad. We'll have our own special moment. One that belongs to only the two of us."

Ai kissed the corner of Rin's mouth, which forced the redhead to close his eyes and follow the sweet lips that he loved so much. Nitori noticed this and went for a full kiss this time.

He knew that Rin wasn't good with words, and he often showed his feeling though actions, and this kiss definitely tasted like and apology.

Ai took his lips away from Rin's and started kissing his neck. He went back up and started nibbling at his ear, knowing perfectly well that it was Rin's weak spot.

Rin started moving, shutting his eyes closed as goose bumps covered his body.

Ai kept on going, leaving kisses and small bites all over his boyfriend's body, making him weak and needy. He knew he was on the right track when he licked at his thigh and Rin let out a throaty moan that bounced off the walls.

Taking a little bit of initiative, Ai grabbed Rin's now full erection in his hand, slowly moving his fist up and down. Rin twisted his hands in the sheets above his head, unintentionally taking the leather thing that Ai had bought.

His thoughts were quickly tossed out when he felt a cold finger proving at his entrance.

"AI?!"

Rin wasn't able to argue much more when Ai's mouth had taken him in, making his hips buckle and his eyes roll.

He could feel the slim fingers working him as tight lips kept sucking him. And to be honest, it wasn't that bad. He could feel every inch of his body tingling, his nerves going on overdrive with too many sensations.

When Ai's mouth left him, he whined, which only made Ai smirk

"Should I stop?"

Rin covered his face with his arms, crossing them above him as he shook his head. He didn't want him to stop, so maybe now he understood what Ai was saying. The feeling was a little uncomfortable, but he got used to it rather quickly. When the third finger was in, he felt a sharp pain crawl up his back, making him jolt.

"I'm sorry!"

"I-It's okay" he said between gasps.

"Should I go on?"

Rin nodded his head, blushing all the way to the tip of his ears. This wasn't as he had planned, nor as he had imagined, but he was in no place to complain.

Ai prepared him thoroughly, giving him time to relax and get used to the feeling.

It wasn't until Ai had put on condom on that things got tense again.

"Are you sure? We can still give it up for the night."

"It's okay…"

Ai was about to ask again, but he saw the confidence in Rin's eyes, so he decided to trust him and positioned himself.

He slowly slid in, listening to the response Rin was giving him. He stopped as he saw Rin slap his hands over his face, trying to cover the pain he was feeling from Ai.

He just stayed in place, waiting for Rin to get used to it unless he was told otherwise. After a few excruciatingly long minutes, Rin uncovered his lovely face and nodded to Ai to keep on going.

Nitori did as instructed and carefully went on, practicing all the self control that he could muster as he went in as slowly as possible. The sensation was amazing, not exactly as he thought it would be. It was hot, and tight and it felt absoltely incredible. Nitori felt slightly guilty at how good he was feeling whereas Rin was still whining in pain.

Once he was finally in to the brim, he looked at his boyfriend, waiting for some sort of reassurance that this was still okay.

Rin's body was shivering, his face covered under long strand of silky hair. This preoccupied Ai. Not being able to see Rin's face was an absolute torture and he needed to have those bright red irises that stopped his heart, to look at him ant tell him everything was okay.

But the redhead didn't show any sign of moving, so it was Ai who made the move, and lounged on top him carefully placing Rin's lost strands of hair behind his ears.

He was surprised to find Rin with tears in his eyes and sniffling lightly. The vision made Nitori freeze in place, and dread to fill his stomach.

Rin was at a loss. He was finally having sex, after having waiting so long. It was finally happening, not exactly the way he thought it would go, but still. The event was something that took Rin by surprise. It was so personal, so absolutely intimate that he couldn't help the way his chest tightened and his eyes watered.

He could feel the attention and the delicate way Ai kept touching him, reassuring him and just overall making him feel safe and loved. It was something that Rin was so unused to, that it was as if a dam had exploded inside him, and every feeling he ever had was bursting out of him.

This thing, this wonderful and scary thing he felt in the tingling of his body and the irregular beat of his heart was love. He loved Ai so much that it was impossible for him to look him in the eye, as if the whole thing could slip away from him in the batter of an eye.

Having sex was painful, but the feeling that came with it was something that had absolutely enamored Rin. It felt as if the two of them had turned into one, their beating hearts mingling into one tune, their bodies fitting perfectly into each other.

He was drowning in this wave of feelings when a small hand brought him back. Hovering over him was Ai, a very concerned look on his face. Said face quickly froze in panic, and Rin was sure Ai was scared of the tears in his eyes. This was the reason why he loved him so much. He wasn't sure if there ever had been someone who had cared so much for him that their entire body portrayed fear at the simple sight of a few stray tears.

Cupping Ai's cheek, he brought him closer, taking all that fear away from him in one tender kiss.

"I love you Ai"

Nitori smiled into the kiss, before answering him.

"I love you too Rin"

Once their lips separated, the teens stared into each others eyes, the breath mingling between them.

"You can move now"

Ai just stared at him, preparing himself to go on.

Ai placed both of his elbows on either side of Rin's sides, making sure to keep eye contact with the older one. He then proceeded to pull out, the action only making Rin to cringe a little. He pulled back in still very tenderly and continued this motioned for a while. He quickly picked up a rhythm and started pushing in a little harder every time, enjoying the sensation way too much. Rin could see it in the way his eyes closed and his breath transformed into quick gasps of air.

The pain in Rin's body started to fade and the constant motion was starting to feel good. He relaxed and enjoyed the moment he was having with his boyfriend when he was abruptly blinded by something. It felt like a jolt of electricity had traveled throughout his entire body, making his toes curl and his eyes to shut tightly. By the way Ai giggled, it was also possible that he had cried out, but he didn't really cared about that right now.

"Do… do that again" he said, suddenly out of breath

Ai lined up and attempted to repeat the movement that had sent Rin into watching stars. He managed to do it a couple of times, but with them being beginners, it was more that he could ever have asked for.

Ai brushed over that specific bundle of nerves a few times and each time Rin would scream his name. Unfortunately Nitori was way too close compared to Rin, and so he decided to take matters in his own hands. Literally. Ai gripped Rin's length in his hand and started pumping him according to the rhythm of his hips.

Rin yelped and started thrusting into Ai, demanding more friction, more fullness, and Ai being a gentle lover, gave him what he wanted. Soon enough, Rin spoke.

"Ai.. I'm - ahh- I'm close.." he managed to purr into Ai's ears.

The smaller boy's actions got frantic as he himself was reaching his point of no return. Their hips met messily and moans were heard as hands held onto the sheets greedily.

Ai was the first to come, ridding his orgasm in messy thrusts and mumbled words of praise. Quickly after, after having pulled out, he heard Rin's gruff voice crack and something sticky ran down his hand.

Ai got rid of the condom, only to collapse next to Rin, his body suddenly too heavy and tired.

Rin searched under his bed for a box of tissues, quickly cleaning the both of them. He then brought the smaller one over him, keeping him close as they catch up their breaths and their minds.

Ai nuzzled into Rin's chest and placed his head over his heart. "I love you" he said.

"I love you too"

Rin put his arms over him and sighed.

"That was amazing"

Nitori giggled and kissed his boyfriend's chest. "Yes it was"

"Maybe I'll reconsider that divorce" he said with a wide grin over his face.

"Hmm.. you should."

"For the kids, you know. Totally not for the awesome and hot sex we could have"

This time Ai laughed fully, bringing his hand over his mouth.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say Rin"

Rin just kissed the top of his head as a response. But then he remembered.

"Wait! Now that I think about it, what was that thing?"

Ai turned to him and raised one of his eyebrows. "What"

"You know, the… bondage thing?"

"Oh!" Ai blushed, remembering how it had all started. "It's your costume"

"My costume?"

"Yeah, for the party"

"Oh. Wait. I SAID I'M NOT-"

"Oh shut up, It's a shingeki no kyojin costume."

"It is?"

"Yes. It's the white pants and the bondage for the 3DMG"

"Oh. That's kind of cool… i guess" He didn't want to admit that it was actually REALLY cool and that he might be a little excited now.

Unfortunately, Ai knew him too well and saw right through that. He didn't commented on it, choosing to rest on Rin's chest instead.

"If I get aroused by watching titan slaying anime it will all be our fault you know."

Ai laughed again, holding on even closer to Rin.

"It's okay. I'll take full responsabily for that" he wiggled his eyebrows at Rin, watching him turn bright pink.

"You better"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and for putting up with this! I don't know when I'll ber able to update, but I hope you will be patient :) thank you again for taking the time to read this.  
> See you next time~

**Author's Note:**

> I already have this fic on FF, but decided to post it here anyway!
> 
> Mostly just Rin and Ai being stupid cute dorks and loving a lot as their relationship grows.  
> This is my first fic, so yeah, that's all i can say.  
> Thank you for reading :)


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